'Musharraf loyalists may manipulate polls'

Islamabad, July 8: With candidates of the nationalist and seperatist groups debarred from contesting the July 11 elections of the POK Legislative Assembly, several Kashmiri leaders have expressed apprehension that the polls may witness several Musharraf loyalists coming to power.

Tehreek-e-Kashmir President Mohammed Ghalib said that the government was preparing to handover power in the POK to the loyalists, reports daily The News.

According to observers, the authorities have already rejected nominations of 72 candidates of the JKLF and other nationalist parties as they refused to declare their allegiance to the state's accession with Pakistan.

These candidates stated that since they espoused the cause of independence for the entire Jammu and Kashmir state, they can sign the allegiance documents, made mandatory for the candidates to fight the polls.

Referring to meeting of President Musharraf with former Premier of the POK Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan and his son Atique Ahmed Khan, Mr Ghalib said that it indicates that the military regime has ''some concrete design for the future of POK''.

''There is a deliberate attempt to manipulate the elections by influencing the general masses of POK'' he emphasised. His views were earlier echoed by Dr Shabir Chaudhry of the JKLF, who stated that Pakistan was trying to interfere in the election process of POK.

He said that Muslim Conference and the Peoples Party, which ruled the POK most of the time, had failed to improve conditions of the people. Both parties did nothing for the welfare and political objective of the state.

Mr Abdul Qayoom Khan hoped that elections are held in free and fair atmosphere and transparent manner.

UNI