The government has planned to set up an interim government most probably consisting of non-political entities, said Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani here on Monday while talking to a group of journalists.
He said that government would form an interim setup after November 15, after dissolution of the present assemblies just after their completion of an unprecedented five-year term of parliament.
The Information Minister said that President would announce an interim setup and names of some non-political entities are under consideration in this regard. However, he refused to name those who are in good books of the President for the interim set up, saying it a premature.
He claimed that the new setup would hold free, fair and transparent general elections, which would pioneer a new political culture of completing the terms of assemblies and holding transparent elections in time.
The Minister said PML and its allies are a time-tested alliance, which submits to the masses an agenda of public service, national progress, transparent governance and politics of restraint.
The coalition members of assemblies and parliament voted for President Musharraf inside assemblies while the masses rejected the strike call by opposition on streets on October 6. This unprecedented support for the president suggests that the masses would support all those in the general elections who have voted for President Musharraf, he added.
The government coalition, he opined, has emerged as a strong force after the presidential polls. "Each individual exercised their right to vote according to their conscience and the president bagged more votes than he secured earlier in his vote of confidence, he added.
Unfortunately, he said, the PPP and MMA legislators did not vote for their candidates Amin Fahim and Justice Wajihuddin (Retd). Minister said that the abstaining of PPP legislators in the presidential election proved that the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was not introduced to win PPP support in the presidential poll. Bu it is an effort aimed at obtaining broad-based national reconciliation and trust of political parties to end politics of confrontation.
"Wajihuddin Ahmad should also follow the tradition set by Makhdoom Amin Fahim as setting healthy and positive traditions is need of the hour," he said.
The Minister further said that the Balochistan Assembly had cast more votes in favour of President Musharraf, which vindicated that the Baloch people endorse the mega development projects in the province.
By taking all the groups along and launching reconciliation initiative, the president has become a 'trend setter' in national politics and eliminated the political confrontation.
When the Minister was asked whether the government would hold by-elections in NWFP once the provincial assembly is dissolved, the Minister said, "As per the constitutional provisions, bye-election can be held if any assembly is dissolved before 120 days of its maturity. Therefore, he said, NWFP assembly election would also be held along with the general elections, adding that the interim set up in the NWFP would also be in place as per constitution.
He said the National Reconciliation Ordinance had become a law and was a 'ground reality.' However, he said the political process has to go on and it would continue.