THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2007
LAHORE: Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif said Thursday that an alliance of opposition parties will boycott elections in January and would try to persuade others including Benazir Bhutto to join them. "We are boycotting these elections," Sharif told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore after a meeting of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), which groups Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and other parties. "We will try to convince other political parties so that this boycott is effective," he said, adding they would call a meeting with leaders of other opposition groups including Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party
After long deliberations at the Model Town residence of former premier Nawaz Sharif, members of the All Parties Democratic Movement decided unanimously the alliance would boycott the elections if President Musharraf didn’t budge on the judges’ issue.
“We have a one-point agenda, and we will not compromise on it at any cost. We will boycott the sham elections,” said Mian Nawaz Sharif, while briefing the media after the meeting. The APDM meeting, chaired by Mian Nawaz Sharif, however, kept the option of rapprochement with President Musharraf open in case he changes his mind vis-‡-vis his Nov-3 decision of sacking the judges.
The APDM constituted two committees to hold talks with the Pakistan People’s Party and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl on the issue, separately. A five-member committee, comprising Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Nawabzada Mansoor Ali Khan and Abid Hasan Minto, will hold talks with the PPP, while the same team with an addition of Qazi Hussain Ahmed would contact the JUI of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. They have been given the task of mustering support of the two major political parties so that the APDM’s cause of restoring the rule of law could be strengthened.
Nawaz Sharif told journalists the APDM had stuck to its principled stand of restoring the judiciary. He, however, said the decision had been reached with a heavy heart. “We have always participated in elections and got successes,” he said. “This time also, the APDM will definitely win seats if it takes part in the elections.” He said they were fighting for a cause, and it was Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf, he said, imposed the emergency rule in the country and forced the judges to take an oath under the PCO. “He imposed the emergency rule only to get rid of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and all other judges, who were questioning his unconstitutional measures,” Nawaz said. “The judiciary wanted the law-enforcers and secret agencies to trace the missing persons, which enraged General Musharraf and he imposed the second martial law in the country,” added the PML-N chief. He said Musharraf would do no favour to the nation by lifting the emergency. The real issue is restoration of the judiciary to its pre-Nov 3 status, he added. He said if Musharraf didn’t restore the judges, all candidates of the APDM would withdraw their nomination papers. To a question, Nawaz said the APDM would stand by its decision of boycotting the elections even if Benazir decides vice versa.
He said an All Parties Conference would be held soon, and students, members of the civil society, traders and lawyers would also be invited to the meeting. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan said on the occasion he had already decided to boycott the elections and the APDM had endorsed his viewpoint. He said he had the contention that it was wrong to submit nomination papers under the PCO. He said the elections held under the PCO would form a rubber-stamp parliament. He said taking part in the elections would mean ditching the judges who dared challenge the might of General Pervez Musharraf for the first time in the history of Pakistan.
Jamaat-e-Islami amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad said APDM candidates would withdraw their nomination papers before the final date of withdrawal. He said all Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal component parties except the JUI-F would withdraw their nomination papers. He said they also wanted Maulana Fazlur Rehman to accept the APDM decision.
According to sources, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party didn’t like the idea of boycotting the polls. Sources believe Mian Nawaz Sharif might meet ANP leader Asfandyar Wali soon to convince him to join hands with the APDM parties.
While the APDM meeting was going on inside, a group of PTI activists and the civil society members were chanting slogans against President Musharraf outside the Nawaz Sharif Model Town residence. Later, a group of lawyers from different bar councils held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif and apprised him of their reservations.
Those who attended the APDM meeting were: Mian Nawaz Sharif, Raja Zafarul Haq, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chauhdry Nisar Ali Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Anas Noorani, Sajid Mir, Sajid Naqvi, Samiul Haq, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Imran Khan, Qari Ashaq Ullah, Mahmood Achakzai, Abdul Hayee Baloch, Hamiduddin al-Mashriqi, Dr Qadir Magsi, Rasool Bakhsh Palejo, Habib Jalib Baloch, Taj Mohammad Langah, Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Gul, Abid Hasan Minto, Sahibzada Fazal Karim, Nawabzada Mansoor Khan, Manzoor Ali Gillani, Haji Mohammad Adeel, Ahsan Wayen, Mian Sajid Pervez, Hamid Khan, Pir Ejaz Hashmi, Akram Shah, Rahim Khan, Malik Abdul Majeed, Hafiz Abdul Karim, Haji Abdul Razzaq, Dr Mohammad Aslam Mirza, Dr Sabiha Arshed, Aslam Mohsin, Vice-Admiral (retd) Javed Iqbal, Mahmood Leghari, MA Butter, Syed Zahid Bokhari, Inayat Ullah Khan, Nawaz Gondal, Pir Abdul Shakoor Naqshbandi, Rana Shafiq Khan Pasroori, Hashim Siddiqui, Qari Mohammad Zawwar Bahadur, Akhtar Hussain, Yousaf Masti Khan, Abdul Qadir Anto, Javed Khan Swati etc.
Lahore, Dec 9 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the All Parties Democratic Movement will today decide whether to boycott the election scheduled for January 8 next year.Shairf also said that the polls in the country could be meaningless unless deposed judges are reinstated.Yesterday, he also met the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmad to draw strategy for the forthcoming polls.Withdrawal of the state of emergency from Pakistan without reversing the November 3 actions would be futile said Qazi and Sharif after their meeting.Sharif said that he exchanged views with Qazi on the issues pertaining to the charter of demand and the differences with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)."We want to win the war waged by the judiciary by all means, as it was a war of the 160 million people," Sharif said.Sharif has also appealed to the PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, to set a cut-off date for the restoration of deposed judges.
December 10, 2007 09:09 IST
Former premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N on Monday decided to participate in Pakistan's general election after the All-Party Democratic Movement, the country's largest opposition alliance, failed to achieve consensus on boycotting the polls.
"We will participate in the polls and we will see about seat adjustments later," Shahbaz Sharif, a senior PML-N leader and the brother of the former prime minister, said after a marathon meeting of the APDM.
The six-hour-long meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif also agreed that the constituents of the APDM would independently decide on the issue of taking part or boycotting the January 8 parliamentary polls.
The APDM discussed various options, including a proposal to put off a decision on the boycott till a few days before the polls, but failed to reach consensus.
"There was no consensus on whether to boycott or participate in the elections. The members felt both options could be adopted," PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq told a news conference after the meeting held at Sharif's residence.
"The APDM will remain intact and its members will hold discussions and take decisions independently on whether to boycott or participate in the polls," Haq said.
PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal too said his party would take part in the polls following the APDM's failure to reach a consensus.
Reports said there was considerable pressure on Sharif from leaders and workers of the PML-N to participate in the election in view of the decision by former premier Benazir Bhutto's [Images] Pakistan People's Party not to boycott the electoral process.
Most of the 33 constituents of the APDM too favoured contesting the polls. Among the few parties that were keen on a boycott were the Jamaat-e-Islami and Imran Khan's [Images] Tehreek-e-Insaf, APDM leaders said.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has already announced his party will take part in the polls, did not attend the APDM meeting.
Haq said the PML-N would now launch a campaign to mobilise the people that would be spearheaded by Sharif.
"Mian Nawaz Sharif will go across the country to contact and mobilise the people. He will soon travel to Faisalabad and Karachi to kick off this campaign," he said.
The "item number one" on the PML-N's agenda will be the reinstatement of the deposed judges of the superior judiciary and the restoration of the constitution of 1973, Haq said.
All constituents of the APDM had agreed that the people should be mobilised for the campaign against the dictatorship, Haq said.
"We will take all issues to the people to get their support. This is the best way to put pressure on the government. If all the 160 million people come out seeking a change, nothing can prevent a change."
Asked if the APDM would continue its discussions with the PPP to reach an understanding on boycotting the polls, Haq said: "Mohtarma (Benazir Bhutto) is in Dubai. Let her return and then we will see."
ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: The All Parties’ Democratic Movement (APDM) has announced that it is resuming its campaign for boycott of the coming election.
APDM convener Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed said at a news conference after a meeting here on Tuesday that the movement had decided to include the option of calling for a march on Islamabad as part of the campaign against President Pervez Musharraf’s rule.
The APDM criticised Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif for taking a decision of boycotting the election and then reversing it within three days.
The alliance’s leaders expressed shock and sorrow over the decision of the Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-N to take part in the election at this juncture said the APDM would do its best to foil the ‘illegitimate’ process.
The Tehrik-i-Istiqlal led by Asghar Khan has also decided to join the APDM.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Rasool Bakhsh Paleejo, Abid Hasan Minto, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel and Hamid Khan.
The APDM leaders said it was time for the opposition parties to gather on a platform to demand Gen (retd) Musharraf’s resignation, formation of a national government and fair and free election under an independent election commission.
They said a just investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto could not be held under the president.
Mr Achakzai said the APDM was determined to take forward its agenda of getting the sacked judges reinstated, removing President Musharraf and transfer of power to a genuinely elected party or alliance.
The MMA chief said the charter of demands prepared by the APDM and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy still remained the basis of cooperation among all the opposition parties.
He the APDM would continue its efforts for national consensus aimed at ousting the president and transfer of power to elected representatives of the people.
http://search.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/10pakemergency1.htmAPDM convener Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed said at a news conference after a meeting here on Tuesday that the movement had decided to include the option of calling for a march on Islamabad as part of the campaign against President Pervez Musharraf’s rule.
The APDM criticised Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif for taking a decision of boycotting the election and then reversing it within three days.
The alliance’s leaders expressed shock and sorrow over the decision of the Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-N to take part in the election at this juncture said the APDM would do its best to foil the ‘illegitimate’ process.
The Tehrik-i-Istiqlal led by Asghar Khan has also decided to join the APDM.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Rasool Bakhsh Paleejo, Abid Hasan Minto, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel and Hamid Khan.
The APDM leaders said it was time for the opposition parties to gather on a platform to demand Gen (retd) Musharraf’s resignation, formation of a national government and fair and free election under an independent election commission.
They said a just investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto could not be held under the president.
Mr Achakzai said the APDM was determined to take forward its agenda of getting the sacked judges reinstated, removing President Musharraf and transfer of power to a genuinely elected party or alliance.
The MMA chief said the charter of demands prepared by the APDM and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy still remained the basis of cooperation among all the opposition parties.
He the APDM would continue its efforts for national consensus aimed at ousting the president and transfer of power to elected representatives of the people.
http://www.andhranews.net/Intl/2007/December/9/APDM-decision-25475.asp
http://martialruleinpakistan.blogspot.co.uk/2007/11/apdm-to-boycott-elections.html
http://insaf.pk/News/tabid/60/artic...leId/708/APDM-to-resume-boycott-campaign.aspx
http://insaf.pk/News/tabid/60/artic...-to-boycott-polls-if-judges-not-restored.aspx
just for the RECORDS a video is added
happy BURNOL DAY PMLN :P
