Pakistan People's Party has welcomed the recent resolution of European Parliament calling for free, fair and democratic elections in Pakistan and warning against the imposition of emergency rule or adoption of other suppressive measures to stifle dissent.
In a statement spokesperson of the Party former Senator Farhatullah Babafr said that the PPP has all along maintained that the holding of free and fair elections was the only way out of the present political crisis.
The resolution adopted by the EU Parliament the other day also called upon General Musharraf "to respect the existing Constitution by allowing the new assemblies to hold presidential elections and by relinquishing his post of army chief, which he had previously agreed to do in an undertaking to the EU".
The EU resolution said that the military and the secret services exert undue influence in politics, government and the economy of Pakistan, which is contrary to the principle of the roadmap for the restoration of democracy envisaging that power would be transferred from the military back to a civilian administration.
The PPP spokesperson said that the role of secret agencies had also been exposed in the judicial crisis and it was time that the agencies were brought under the ambit of law and parliamentary scrutiny. The party hopes that the condemnation by EU of spate of disappearances in the country would put pressure on the regime to address the issue on an urgent basis.
He said that the PPP also welcomed the fact that the EU will monitor the parliamentary elections in Pakistan and has expressed concern over the lack of legitimacy of the future President of Pakistan if elected by the outgoing Assembly.