Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday promised general elections in October next year to restore democracy following the 1999 coup, but analysts said many questions remained unanswered.
Preparations would begin in September this year and culminate in June 2002, and the new federal parliament would be in operation by November of that year, the general said.
Musharraf was spelling out his long-awaited "road map" for democracy to an audience of newly elected local council chairmen on Pakistan's Independence Day.
He has been under international pressure to give a date for the elections since he toppled the corrupt government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a move widely welcomed by ordinary Pakistanis.
"People in the country and the outside world have been asking for a road map. Today I am giving the brief outline of the road map, details of which will be announced in the press later," he said in a televised speech.
"Elections to provincial, national assemblies and the senate will be held between October 1 and 11.
"The entire transfer of powers, including elections of speakers, chairman of the senate and oath taking of members, will be completed in October and November 2002."
He said that following the already completed first phase of local body elections, preparations for the election of provincial and national assemblies would take place between September 1 this year and June 30 2002.
"During this time there will be delimitations of constituencies, preparations of new electoral rolls, new national ID cards and necessary constitutional amendments," he said.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999 and has vowed to honor a Supreme Court ruling giving him three years to hand power back to an elected civilian government.
He appointed himself president and formally disbanded parliament in June this year.
Analysts welcomed the announcement but expressed concern that it failed to address fundamental questions such as the role of political parties and the military in the future set-up.
"Broad outlines have been given but the inner details are missing," political analyst and former department head at Punjab University Hassan Askari Rizvi told AFP.
"It will keep the political leaders guessing as to the nature of the electoral process, the role of political parties and finer details of the constitutional system."
Politicians said Musharraf had no right to tinker with the constitution ahead of the polls, reflecting fears that the general is planning to entrench the military in power.
"The announcement giving the date for the polls is welcomed, but he has no right to bring any ammendment in the constitution," said Raza Rabbani, deputy secretary general of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
"Only the future parliament has the right to ammend the constitution."
The president of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, Javed Hashmi, also said the lengthy electoral preparations allowed too much scope for manipulation.
"We have no trust in Musharraf," he said, adding that the president "remained silent about lifting the ban on political rallies and public meetings."
"The elections timetable should be followed by lifting the ban on all such activities."
Two-time prime ministers Bhutto and Sharif remain the most prominent political leaders in the country, but they have been discredited by widespread allegations of corruption and both live in exile.
Musharraf has vowed neither will be allowed to return to power as long as he has any say over Pakistan's political system.
In another Independence Day speech earlier Tuesday, he said "Pakistan is back on the rails ... We have overcome innumerable hurdles to a considerable extent".
"But our troubles are not yet over. We will have to work hard to overcome them." -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
