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General elections

Musharraf may announce time frame tomorrow

T A MALIK

ISLAMABAD: Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf may announce time frame for general election in the country on Thursday (March 23), it is reliably learnt.

Sources said the announcement would be based on accountability and elimination of corruption from the politics, political reforms and strengthening of democratic institutions across the board.

The Chief Executive is also scheduled to announce local bodies' elections on the same day.

The sources said the local bodies' election would be held on the concept of the district government and devolution of power at lower level.

The Cabinet, NSC and corps commanders have already approved the "devolution of power" model. The CE would make the model public on forthcoming Pakistan Day. Public comments at all level would be invited on the model. The final announcement in this regard would be made on August 14, the sources added.

The concept of the district governments would be introduced for the local bodies polls. The elections would be held under the new voters lists which are being compiled by Nadra on the request of Election Commission, the sources added.

Nadra would complete the lists of voters following the population census 1998, by the end of May 2001. But the process of the local bodies election would be initiated by the end of this year in some parts of the country, the sources said.

Nadra would hand over the new lists of 20 districts of the country to the Election Commission by the end of November this year. The sources said the local bodies' election would not be held simultaneously in the country.

The sources further that a proposal is also under consideration to reduce the voters' age from 21 to 18 for the next local bodies and general elections.

General Musharraf has already promised to introduce" a real democracy" in the country and holding of local bodies elections will be the first step towards the end.

The CE may address a press conference on Thursday and will announce future plan of the government in various sectors.