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Thursday, 7 November, 2002, 08:20 GMT
Concern over Pakistan delay
Left to right: Rahman, former president Leghari and Islamic leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed
Maulana Rahman (left) could be next prime minister
Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf, has been criticised for his decision to postpone the opening of the country's new parliament.The move, announced on Wednesday, comes amid disagreement between the country's politicians about the shape of the next government. State-run Pakistan TV said that the inaugural session of the National Assembly scheduled for Friday had been postponed for a week.
Earlier this week, pro-democracy parties said they planned to join forces with religious groups and had agreed on the name of a joint candidate for prime minister.
Under the deal, the name of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, a hardline Islamic cleric, was being put forward as a possible future premier.
Outrage
The pro-military party that won the most seats, the PML-Q, had wanted Friday's session put back to allow more time for negotiations.
The opposition and political commentators now say Pakistan's military rulers are trying to allow the PML-Q enough time to cobble together support.
"There are grounds to suspect that the PML-Q is now desperately seeking the support of offstage players to win the number game, and for this it needs more time," The Nation daily newspaper said in an editorial.
The opposition Pakistan People's Party of former premier Benazir Bhutto, which earlier said it would form an alliance with the hardline Islamic bloc, accused the president of manipulating the election verdict.
"The postponement has lent credence to the perception that the regime is manipulating the post-election dynamics to weaken the anti-regime political parties," it said in a statement.
"It is based on malafide intent and is motivated by the desire of the regime to assist the pro-regime king's party to muster requisite strength to enable it to form a government."
The PML-N of former premier Nawaz Sharif also reacted strongly.
"This postponement proves the moral bankruptcy of the regime and its rejection of the people's verdict," a spokesman, Siddiqui Farooq, told the AFP news agency.
Both Mr Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were barred from contesting in the elections.
Jostling
The elections threw up a hung parliament and the various parties have spent weeks trying to form a government.
Tuesday's announcement of a political deal between the PPP-dominated Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and the Islamic MMA appeared to be a breakthrough. It would have meant a government made up of people opposed to the military regime.
"Behind all this seems to loom the hovering shadow of the establishment," the Dawn daily newspaper commented on Thursday.
"How to find a way for the military to stay in power and yet not give the impression of doing so?"
Analysts say the choice of a pro-Taleban cleric to head Pakistan's government would also test relations with Washington.
The religious parties, who have said they want to close down US bases in Pakistan and introduce an Islamic system, caused widespread shock by coming third in the election.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2414393.stm