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Serious flaws in Pakistan general election: EU observer team

Questioning the credibility of Pakistan's general election, European Union observers on Saturday said the entire electoral process was marred with 'serious flaws' and criticised state interference in the voting process.

Head of the EU observers team John Cushnahan on Saturday released in Islamabad a five-page interim report assessing the elections.

Stating that the criteria fixed by the government to permit people to contest the polls was clearly aimed at targeting certain politicians, the EU report said, "The person-specific provisions used against former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were based on questionable legal grounds and clearly had a negative impact on the over all electoral process."

The report also slammed the chief election commissioner for failing to 'curb misuse of state resources' in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), which is believed to have been backed by the military regime.

It claimed there was clear evidence that the entire state machinery had been geared up to help the PML-Q do well in the elections.

"The failure by the Election Commission of Pakistan to protect an area clearly within its mandate from interference by state authorities cast serious doubts over its independence," it said.

The EU report strongly attacked the rule barring all non-graduates from contesting the polls as it applied to 96 per cent of the population and went against Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The report also criticised some controversial amendments, which could lead to the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual, recently introduced by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The amendments, it said, would "institutionalise the role of the military in the governance of the country through the National Security Council, which could subordinate civilian governments to military control."

Cushnahan said he had raised the issue with Musharraf some time back. The latter told him that the new national assembly could repeal or change the laws if it chooses to do so, he said.

Cushnahan said the report would soon be submitted to EU Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten for further action.

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