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Benazir accuses Musharraf regime of pre-election rigging

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Monday alleged that the military regime in Islamabad was resorting to 'pre-election rigging' and accused it of working against her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

She has urged the Commonwealth to prevail upon President Pervez Musharraf to hold 'free and fair elections' under a neutral administration.

Elections to the national assembly are slated for October 10.

The administration of Punjab and Sindh provinces have been working against the PPP, she alleged.

Candidates of her party were being pressurised by police and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) against filing papers under the PPP and threatened with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases or increased utility bills, she added.

"All these activities are contrary to the public claims of General Musharraf of holding fair elections," Bhutto retorted.

She demanded that the ballot count should be done in the presence of representatives of the candidates and the returning officer as in other Commonwealth countries, including India and England.

She also said that there is little chance of restoration of normalcy between Pakistan and India as long as Musharraf is in power.

"He is perceived as the architect of the Kargil conflict. Secondly, the Agra summit (to resolve contentious issues between India, Pakistan) was a total failure," she claimed indicating that it would be difficult for the Indian leadership to deal with such a person.

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