Opposition vows to boycott unfair elections in Pakistan

London : Participants attending the All Parties Conference (APC) in London on Sunday, have vowed to boycott this year's proposed elections in Pakistan, which they feared would be unfair.

They,however, bickered over more concrete measures to overcome the military rule of President Pervez Musharraf.

The event was marked by arguments and chaos, as leaders from across the political spectrum struggled to find common ground and construct a pre-election declaration.

"It is clear that the Musharraf regime is incapable of holding free, fair and honest elections," former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said, reading from the declaration.

President General Musharraf is expected to announce elections later this year, but opposition politicians say that, on the evidence of by-elections which have taken place, they will be rigged. They point to pared-down electoral rolls, changes in polling stations and the use of local police to prevent opposition voters from casting their ballot.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of the Pakistan People's Party did not attend the moot. Her representative, Amin Fahim, fended off charges that the PPP had watered down the text of the declaration to prevent stronger condemnation of Musharraf's rule. Fahim said Bhutto had engagements in France and was unable to come.

Pakistan is rife with speculation that Bhutto is working out a power-sharing deal with Musharraf whereby he is re-elected president and she could become prime minister for a third time once corruption charges against her are dropped.

Fahim, however, rejected those claims.

"I think if there was a democracy, if there was a government of people that things would have been different. That's the reasons that we are demanding the power of the people to rule the country," he said.

A declaration was passed around the table of around 100 politicians, who signed it. (ANI with inputs)