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It is also their declared objective to restore the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law and the Constitution, deleting all the amendments made through the emergency rule.
The political parties -- the Pakistan People's Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N and Awami National Party have jointly announced that they will not pursue the politics of confrontation. They have demanded that Musharraf immediately convene a session of the National Assembly and invite the majority parties to form the government. They have also demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan should announce the official results forthwith.
The government, through the Election Commission, is still using delaying tactics for the transfer of power. Official results of the Feb. 18 elections were not announced until March 1. The notification of results for the reserved seats may not be issued until the second week of March.
At the present time it is assumed that a session of the new assembly will not be possible before March 14, which would be 24 days or more after the general elections. There are also reports in the media quoting sources from the president's house that, "In the elections of 2002 General Musharraf invited the winning parties to form a government 36 days after the elections. Therefore there is no hurry before the presidential camp invites the majority party (coalition) to form a government."
There are also reports that Musharraf has started meetings with leaders of defeated parties and independent candidates to meddle in the transfer of power through intimidation and other means so that minority groups will jointly form the government, which is what he did in 2002 and is exactly why he took 36 days to transfer power.
The actions of the presidential camp and the Election Commission to delay the transfer of power to the newly elected representatives are dangerous, not only for the democratic process but also for the survival of the country. They will also create resentment against the armed forces. This action is an effort to refuse the people the opportunity to form the government of their choice.
It is also a widely known and accepted fact that the leaders of Musharraf's favored parties, in deference to the president's wishes, will never accept the restoration of the deposed chief justice and the judiciary.
The government of Pakistan must be urged to immediately issue the full results of the Feb. 18 election. Musharraf must then immediately invite the majority parties to form the government and convene a session of the National Assembly for the peaceful transfer of power.
This is the right time for the international community and all democratic and human rights organizations throughout the world to intervene and pressure Musharraf's government to accept the results of the elections and transfer power to the civilians as quickly as possible.
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(Basil Fernando is director of the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong. He is a Sri Lankan lawyer who has also been a senior U.N. human rights officer in Cambodia. He has published several books and written extensively on human rights issues in Asia.)
