Pakistan to fix new poll date
Election commission holds meeting to decide whether to postpone January 8 vote.
Sohail Rahman, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, said on Wednesday quoting election commission sources that the election will probably be held on February 26 -27.
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Both Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the party led by Nawaz Sharif have demanded that the election go ahead as planned.
“It is up to the people of Pakistan to choose their future, and the time is now,” it said.
“The January 8th elections must proceed as scheduled. This will not only be a tribute to the memory of Benazir Bhutto, but even more important, a reaffirmation of the cause of democracy for which she died.”
Sharif’s party had previously said that a “short postponement” would be acceptable.
Rigging allegations
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Khosa, who along with Bhutto authored the 160-page dossier documenting alleged rigging tactics, said they ranged from intimidation to fake ballots, and were in some cases unwittingly funded by US aid.
“The state agencies are manipulating the whole process,” he said.
However, a spokesman for Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, dismissed the claim as “ridiculous”.
Rashid Qureshi said: “The president has said a free, fair, transparent and peaceful election is essential, which forms part of his overall strategy for transforming Pakistan into a fully democratic [nation].
“Take it from me, it’s going to be perhaps the best election that Pakistan has ever had.”