Level playing field

Election are due to be held in first ten days of January 2008. Schedule for the same is yet to be issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan after which the election process will go underway in the real sense.
But both ruling coalition partners mainly PML (QA) and the opposition have already started their electioneering in direct and indirect manner though the actual election campaign will only start after the polls schedule is announced.
Since everyone is supposed to be equal before the law so it is quite natural to expect that all those in the election arena should be provided with level playing field. This hopefully is going to be ensured by the Election Commission after the polls schedule is announced. President General Pervez Musharraf has time and again assured, committed and reiterated that the general election will beheld in a free, fair, transparent and orderly manner in a very conducive atmosphere. Surely, he means what he said and is taking all possible steps in this regard.
The Chief Minister of the country's biggest province is spearheading the PML (QA) electioneering since he is also the provincial chief of the ruling party. If the Chief Minister is lashing out the PPP Chairperson and highlighting her misdeeds and misdoings along with her spouse, it is altogether a different matter as the PPP leadership can hit back when they get a chance for that.
The Chief Minister is blasting PPP leadership while addressing public meetings in different parts of the country. His statements are also being headlined by the print media. Somehow, the people at large who are keeping track of the happenings around have started saying that all parties including the ruling party should be provided level playing field to put forth their election programmes before the masses. They say that while the Chief Minister is addressing public meetings, the same facility is being denied to the Opposition parties including PPP on one pretext or the other. In all fairness, this is not fair. The Chief Minister's public meetings on pretty large scale are causing aspersions on the assurance, commitment and reiteration of General Pervez Musharraf that the general election will be held in a free, fair and transparent manner. This is only going to happen to honour General Pervez Musharraf's commitment if level playing field is provided to all This is to request all concerned in the corridors of powers to ensure this as level playing field for all will certainly and surely enhance the credibility of general election, irrespective of who wins and who loses.