Pakistan election postponed until Feb

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s general election was postponed yesterday by six weeks until mid-February due to the the violence sparked by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, despite the objection of the two main opposition parties.

“In all the four provinces, for some days this election process came to a complete halt,” Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq told a news conference. “Polling will now be held on February 18 instead of January 8.”The killing of the charismatic opposition leader has fuelled doubts about stability and the transition to democratic rule in nuclear-armed Pakistan, a crucial United States ally in its anti-terrorism efforts.Farooq said election offices in 11 districts of Sindh, Bhutto’s home province, were burned down in the disturbances, destroying transparent ballot boxes, voters screens, voters lists and other election materials.Supporters of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the other main opposition party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had wanted the election to go ahead as planned, fearing a delay would work to President Pervez Musharraf’s advantage.”Whatever reasons they give are such lame-duck excuses, because the electoral papers and lists were burnt in the districts but they have those lists in the central office,” said Farzana Raja, a spokeswoman for Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).”We reject their baseless excuses.We’re ready to fight the election.”Bhutto’s party would expect to reap a considerable sympathy vote following her assassination in a gun and bomb attack as she left a rally in Rawalpindi last Thursday.Nearly 60 people were killed in the ensuing violence and, while the situation has now calmed, it remains tense and analysts said a postponement could lead to further rioting.Markets are gripped by fears of capital flight if security worsens.Pakistani shares slid 2.3 per cent yesterday as nerves returned to the market ahead of the Musharraf address.The main index <.KSE> has fallen nearly 10 per cent since Bhutto’s killing.”The market was expecting a delay and has already discounted the news.The issue now is what reaction the political parties will have and that might affect the market,” said Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive of Shehzad Chamdia Securities, after the announcement of the poll delay.Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) said opposition parties should unite around a common platform demanding the resignation of Musharraf and the election commission.”General Musharraf has failed to ensure law and order and the election commission has failed to hold elections on schedule,” said spokesman Ahsan Iqbal.”Under these circumstances, both must resign and we should have a neutral national unity government and an independent election commission.”The rival Pakistan Muslim League (Q), which backs Musharraf, said it had no objection to deferring the vote.Bhutto, relatively liberal by Pakistan’s standards and an opponent of Islamist militancy, returned from self-imposed exile in October.Hours after arriving home she narrowly escaped a suicide blast against her motorcade that killed about 140 people.Her death wrecked US hopes of a power-sharing deal between her and Musharraf, who took power in a military coup in 1999 but left the army in November to become a civilian president.The government has blamed an al Qaeda-linked militant based on the Afghan border for Bhutto’s murder, but many Pakistanis believe others from among Bhutto’s enemies, perhaps from within the powerful security agencies, were involved.Bhutto’s party has called for a United Nations investigation.Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said the government was open to outside assistance and the United States and Britain had offered help.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, visiting Pakistan on Tuesday, had also offered help, he said.Nampa-Reuters”Polling will now be held on February 18 instead of January 8.”The killing of the charismatic opposition leader has fuelled doubts about stability and the transition to democratic rule in nuclear-armed Pakistan, a crucial United States ally in its anti-terrorism efforts.Farooq said election offices in 11 districts of Sindh, Bhutto’s home province, were burned down in the disturbances, destroying transparent ballot boxes, voters screens, voters lists and other election materials.Supporters of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the other main opposition party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had wanted the election to go ahead as planned, fearing a delay would work to President Pervez Musharraf’s advantage.”Whatever reasons they give are such lame-duck excuses, because the electoral papers and lists were burnt in the districts but they have those lists in the central office,” said Farzana Raja, a spokeswoman for Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).”We reject their baseless excuses.We’re ready to fight the election.”Bhutto’s party would expect to reap a considerable sympathy vote following her assassination in a gun and bomb attack as she left a rally in Rawalpindi last Thursday.Nearly 60 people were killed in the ensuing violence and, while the situation has now calmed, it remains tense and analysts said a postponement could lead to further rioting.Markets are gripped by fears of capital flight if security worsens.Pakistani shares slid 2.3 per cent yesterday as nerves returned to the market ahead of the Musharraf address.The main index <.KSE> has fallen nearly 10 per cent since Bhutto’s killing.”The market was expecting a delay and has already discounted the news.The issue now is what reaction the political parties will have and that might affect the market,” said Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive of Shehzad Chamdia Securities, after the announcement of the poll delay.Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) said opposition parties should unite around a common platform demanding the resignation of Musharraf and the election commission.”General Musharraf has failed to ensure law and order and the election commission has failed to hold elections on schedule,” said spokesman Ahsan Iqbal.”Under these circumstances, both must resign and we should have a neutral national unity government and an independent election commission.”The rival Pakistan Muslim League (Q), which backs Musharraf, said it had no objection to deferring the vote.Bhutto, relatively liberal by Pakistan’s standards and an opponent of Islamist militancy, returned from self-imposed exile in October.Hours after arriving home she narrowly escaped a suicide blast against her motorcade that killed about 140 people.Her death wrecked US hopes of a power-sharing deal between her and Musharraf, who took power in a military coup in 1999 but left the army in November to become a civilian president.The government has blamed an al Qaeda-linked militant based on the Afghan border for Bhutto’s murder, but many Pakistanis believe others from among Bhutto’s enemies, perhaps from within the powerful security agencies, were involved.Bhutto’s party has called for a United Nations investigation.Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said the government was open to outside assistance and the United States and Britain had offered help.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, visiting Pakistan on Tuesday, had also offered help, he said.Nampa-Reuters