Pakistan polls set for delay
Parliamentary elections seen as key to restoring democracy are set to be postponed for weeks in the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, Pakistani officials said Monday.
A senior government official said that he expected a six-week delay in the elections now slated for Jan. 8, despite calls from Bhutto’s party, other opposition politicians and world leaders for the polls to be held on time. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.
Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Dilashad told reporters that a decision on the timing would be announced on Tuesday, but a recommendation “has been sent to the government for a delay.” The opposition has accused the commission of favoring President Pervez Musharraf’s backers.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the country’s most prominent opposition leader, threatened street protests if the vote was delayed.
“We will agitate,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “We will not accept this postponement.”