Zardari asks Rice to pressurise Musharraf for fair Pak polls

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Washington, Jan 22 : Asif Ali Zardari, the co-Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, has asked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to put the Musharraf regime "on notice", and added that nothing other than a "completely clean election process" will be acceptable.

In a letter to Rice, Zardari warned that there would be "negative consequences" if there is evidence that voting and vote tabulation processes have been compromised in any way.

He also called on Washington and the international community to dispatch observers to Pakistan, and to allow them unrestricted movement and the ability to conduct exit polls, Zardari demanded.

He urged Rice to send "strong messages" to Islamabad asking for the lifting of all remaining restrictions on journalists, political parties, lawyers and opposition party activists.

"Those still in jail on 'trumped-up charges', should be released. The present 'partisan' governments at the centre and in the provinces must be replaced, while the Election Commission that has no representation from two of the four provinces should be reconstituted," he added.

Zardari also expressed the hope that the Bush Administration and the Congress will support the PPP in its call for an international UN-sponsored investigation into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.

He warned that any "manoeuvring or tampering with the elections, or a questionable investigation" into the Benazir murder case would only increase the risk of people taking their discontent into the streets, the Daily Times reported.

ANI

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