US to send 70 poll observers to Pakistan

Washington, Dec 12: The Bush Administration is planning to send 70 poll observers to Pakistan to monitor the January 8 elections in Pakistan, the US State Department has informed the Congress.

According to this plan, the Washington-based International Republican Institute will send 45 observers. The US Agency for International Development will finance 25 other observers, the Dawn reported. Both the groups will work under the US Embassy in Islamabad, which plans to send teams to both rural and urban constituencies to monitor the elections.

The general and provincial elections in Pakistan will be held on January 8 next year. The Opposition Pakistan People"s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have joined hands and vowed to grab power from the loyalists of President Pervez Musharraf. Earlier these parties under the banner of the All Parties Democratic Movement were planning to boycott the polls.

ANI>