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Musharraf set on re-election plan

Nirupama Subramanian

Rejects plea for holding referendum on Chaudhary suspension issue

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf appears determined to go ahead with a plan to have himself re-elected by Parliament and Provincial Assemblies.

At a meeting of ruling coalition parliamentarians on Tuesday, Gen. Musharraf urged all government partners to stand together and prepare for his re-election in September-October, according to reports.

Gen. Musharraf called the meeting to shore up support for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which has been under fire from the Opposition for the May 12 Karachi carnage. As the MQM came under Opposition attack in the National Assembly, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), the main party in the ruling coalition, did not come to its support.

Gen. Musharraf asked coalition partners to support one another. Assuring them that there was no "deal" with any Opposition party, he said the coalition would remain his team in the next government.

He said the presidential election would be held between September 16 and October 15, and the coalition partners should prepare to elect him.

According to a report in the Nation, parliamentarian M.P. Bhandara pleaded with the President to abandon the idea of getting re-elected from the Assemblies. He said it would aggravate the crisis.

"This Assembly has become burhi [old], let it fade out naturally," he said. But according to reports, Gen. Musharraf was confident that he could handle any crisis.

He rejected Mr. Bhandara's suggestion that there should be a referendum on the situation arising out of the Government's action against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary.

"I am used to facing challenges," he is reported to have said, adding that the media was blowing up events out of all proportion.

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