Former federal minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ishaq Dar has said that it has been a longstanding demand of the ARD that fair, free and transparent elections must be held under an independent election commission.
In an interview with a private TV channel, he said there should be transparency and monitoring system for the upcoming polls, adding that fair polls were impossible in the presence of General Musharraf.
To a question, he said the PML-N and PPP-P and their leaders Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto are in contact on the ARD platform. Both the parties would contact each other before taking any decision, he said and added that their every decision would be in the larger national interest.
To a question, Dar said: "We will change our course if the demands are not fulfilled." To another question about Amin Fahim statement that the PPP could contest general elections even under President Musharraf's set up, the PML-N leader said any decision in this regard would be made by the party leadership.
"If the conditions of free and fair elections, independent election commission, monitoring and transparency are ensured then ARD will take part in the elections," he said. When MMA leader Liaquat Baloch was contacted to comment on the statement of Makhdoom Fahim, he said the opposition parties had unified opinion that free and fair elections were not possible under Pervez Musharraf's government.
"We thought of collective efforts for the end of military dictatorship, restoration of Constitution and independent election commission," he said. Baloch said that it was their view that there should be interim set-up. The interim set up, he said, would also be appointed by General Musharraf and when he would have the upper hand; it would be a wishful thinking to expect transparency in the elections.
To another question he said that the MMA demands of President Musharraf to resign and the Senate Chairman should become acting President and an independent Election Commission should conduct the elections.