Idea Of The Day Message Board

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Idea Of The Day

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42986)	7/11/2002 11:13:50 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (2) of 50167

Pakistan parties fail in poll challenge BBC \| 7/11/2002 \| N/A news.bbc.co.uk Pakistan's Supreme Court has upheld a new law which bans people without university degrees from contesting elections. Opponents of the decree, issued along with a raft of other changes in June, say it bars 99% of the population from standing in elections to parliament and provincial assemblies. But Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed dismissed the opposition parties' petition on Thursday, saying he and four colleagues had reached a unanimous decision. The announcement came a day after President Musharraf's government declared 10 October as the date for legislative and provincial elections. General Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup on 12 October 1999, toppling the government of Nawaz Sharif. The Supreme Court had ordered that a vote be held before the third anniversary of this date. Politics of denial The challenge to the decree was mounted by the Pakistan Muslim League Qaid-i-Azam group (PML-Q), Awami National Party and Pakistan Awami Party. These parties are generally considered sympathetic to the government of President Musharraf. The main opposition parties were swift to attack the court's verdict. Iqbal Haider, former law minister and a leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), said it was undemocratic. "It will amount to denying 99% of the people in Pakistan the right to contest elections. "Only about 1% of the population are graduates." Pakistan has a literacy rate of just over 30%. Troubles ahead Correspondents say most Pakistani political parties stand to lose as large numbers of established politicians become ineligible to run. The decree eliminates more than 25 former MPs from the PML-Q alone. Another recent decree bars politicians who have served two terms as prime minister or provincial chief minister from serving a third term. It is believed to be aimed primarily at preventing the return to power of former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. While the president's hands will have been strengthened by the court's verdict, correspondents say his troubles are far from over. Several mainstream parties say the government is opposed to the restoration of what they describe as "true democracy", accuse it of seeking to manipulate the election. They are now demanding that the present government be dismissed and elections be held by a caretaker administration.

Report TOU Violation

Share This Post

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next