A date at last,” began The News in its editorial (September 21) after Pakistan’s Election Commission announced that the presidential election would be conducted on October 6. It took stock of the calendar of events so far: “First the EC notified a change in the rules governing the presidential election exempting President Pervez Musharraf from being subject to Article 63, thus essentially allowing him to contest the election while retaining the post of army chief. When this was criticised across the political spectrum, the EC said that this change was not person-specific but would apply to any candidate.”

Dawn (September 21) reported that the last day of filing nominations is the 27th, with Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed saying that the president would contest the election in uniform but he would meet his commitment to “doff the uniform” after polls and would take oath as a civilian president. The minister qualified that were the assemblies to be dissolved before his own election, President Musharraf would continue to be army chief.

According to another report, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Rana Bhagwandas rejected Imran Khan’s plea that the amendment to the Presidential Election Rules be revoked.

In Dawn’s editorial: “Immediately after the EC announced the date, the opposition lost no time in condemning the presidential move. Surprising as it looks, the opposition stalwarts have still not come to a consensus on the question of resignations... All this when the Supreme Court is still hearing the crucial petitions challenging President Musharraf’s right to don two hats and to his right to contest a presidential election. What happens if the apex court accepts the petitions and bars Gen Musharraf from seeking a re-election?” Friday’s Daily Times cited PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar’s statement that their legislators would not resign from the assemblies if three conditions were met: “if Gen Musharraf doffs his uniform before contesting the presidential poll, removes the ban on third-time premiers and withdraws cases against Benazir and other leaders who have not been convicted in any court for the last 10 years.”

... contd.