Ruling PML Secretary General asks Musharraf to convene APC

Islamabad, June 14 (UNI) Ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Secretary General Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has outlined a three-point agenda to strengthen democracy in the country and asked President Pervez Musharraf to convene an All Parties Conference (APC).

Daily Times quoted Mr Sayed as proposing to Gen Musharraf to convene an All Parties Conference to discuss the forthcoming polls; establish an independent Election Commission; and agree on consensus with opposition parties regarding the ''rules of engagement''to ensure free and fair elections.

''This is the time when the President should call an APC where all parties including those representing the opposition should be invited to deliberate upon the solutions of the problems and challenges faced by the country,'' he said.

Such a move, he stressed, would strengthen national reconciliation and uphold the democratic political process of the country.

Mr Sayed further said the prevailing problem in the country was not the absence of democracy but the absence of a democratic mindset among the political elite.

Despite his army uniform, Gen Musharraf had a more democratic mindset than traditional civilian leaders, he added.

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