President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday announced that elections would be held by February 15 next. In a prompt move, both President General Pervez Musharraf and chief of the ruling League Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian announced here at separate forums that elections would be held not later than February 15 next year, which were previously scheduled to be held in January 2008.
President Pervez Musharraf had reportedly made it clear at National Security Council meeting that elections would be held in February without any extension in the tenure of present assemblies. "General elections in the country would be held by February 15 next year," Musharraf was quoted as saying after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council.
"The tenures of the national assembly and provincial assemblies are ending on different dates and after studying the options whether to hold elections on separates dates, it was decided to go hold elections simultaneously on or before February 15, 2008," he was quoted as saying. Earlier, ruling League President Chaudhry Shujaat informed the media at a press conference that general elections would be held in February.
Shujaat further said that a caretaker government would be formed till November 15 and its tenure would be less than three months. Under the present circumstances, the government decided to lessen the period of emergency and hold elections as early as possible to end speculations, he maintained.
He also announced that PML (Q) and its allied parties had constituted a nine-member 'Central Co-ordination Committee' to evolve election strategy. Three members of the committee would be from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
To a question, he said that Benazir Bhutto had tried to get credit of those issues which the government had already settled including holding of general elections and shedding of President's uniform. On the uniform of the President, he said that the petition on the uniform is pending in the apex court and President would follow its decision.
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