'Musharraf wants to reintroduce basic democracies system'

General Pervez Musharraf wants to reintroduce 'Basic Democracies System' as electoral college for a President-in-Uniform after 40 years to follow General Ayub Khan, but he must keep in mind that his tactics would bog him down further, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leader Fazl-ur-Rehman said while talking to party men in Multan late on Saturday.
The religious alliance warned of a protest drive after polls and holding of a conference of national leaders in Islamabad on September 18 to bring all democratic forces on a single platform through a national charter. He said that the rulers had planned to abolish federal parliamentary system and introduce restricted democracy with supremacy of Army.
For the purpose, he said, the polls were being heavily rigged through a team of experts, hoodwinking foreign observers and shattering the confidence of the masses in democratic political process.
The MMA leader alleged that the Election Commission had been practically proved as powerless and ineffective during the process because it did not take any action on thousands of complaints filed with it regarding the first phase of polls.
The Commission did take action against interference by MPs belonging to opposition but the interruption by General Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, federal ministers and treasury MPs was totally ignored, he complained.
In around 100 union councils of Karachi, the MMA leader said, MQM did not allow polling agents of any other party to enter polling stations as Rangers and police played the role of silent spectators.
Warning the rulers of a forceful movement after local polls, Fazl said that the government itself had provided a strong base for it by rigging elections.
"Institution of a powerful and impartial Election Commission for general elections and protection of the 1973 Constitution would be fundamental elements of the movement," he added.
The MMA leader claimed that despite the rigging at least 270 nazims and naib nazims backed by the religious alliance had won in 17 districts of Punjab on August 18. Reports received from 10 districts say that 1,300 supporters had also returned as winners as general, women, labourers/peasants and minority councillors.
He said that for protection of religious seminaries two conferences of scholars would be held--one in Karachi on August 28, and the other in Islamabad on September 4.
Besides interference by the governor and the federal interior minister, the chief secretary and the inspector general of police had also been bullied to misuse the administration in the NWFP, he said.