SC ruling over Mush on expected line: Benazir

Lahore, Sep 29: Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto has said that the Supreme Court"s decision to allow President General Pervez Musharraf to contest the October 6 presidential polls in uniform is on "expected" line.

Bhutto further said that Pakistan is heading towards civil war.

"Nobody, including the army is safe from the blast occurring in the country," the Daily Times quoted her, as saying.

"If Musharraf repeats dictatorship, the Pakistan People"s Party (PPP) will resign from the present assemblies," Bhutto added.

PPP"s presidential candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim also respected the apex court"s ruling.

Commenting on the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Fahim said the ARD is still operational and intact, but his party is not obligated to abide by any of the decisions taken by the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM).

Central information secretary of PPP, Sherry Rehman, said that Musharraf"s candidature for the office of President would be challenged in the Election Commission (EC) today.

"We have to accept the SC judgment, and I should not comment on this, but the whole episode has been shifted to the EC. The PPP would challenge Musharraf"s candidature in the commission on Saturday," she said.

Musharraf, 64, has promised to quit his military role by November 15 if he is re-elected. But he had not ruled out dissolving Parliament or even imposing martial law if the court blocks his candidature.

According to media reports, six of the nine judges gave a favourable verdict, while the other three judges, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and Justice Shakirullah Jan differed.

The nine-member larger Bench hearing the identical constitutional petitions comprised of Justice Das, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Khan, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokar, Justice Falak Sher, Justice Jan and Justice M Javed Buttar.

ANI>