Pakistan's political direction and the future of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf ordain be decided soon. The following are the key dates for the country's presidential and parliamentary elections:
* Oct. 15: The latest possible go out for the presidential election unless Musharraf dissolves Parliament and calls early parliamentary elections. The presidential choose would take place from the new assemblies.
Opposition parties insist the U. S.-backed Musharraf is ineligible to run but the commission said it had changed a rule so that a key bind of the constitution no longer applied.
"The chief election commissioner of Pakistan has made the requisite amendment with the approval of the president," the equip said in a statement.
The rule change drew an outraged response from opposition leader and former fix Minister Benazir Bhutto. She also accused Musharraf's allies of leading the country toward a dangerous crisis by refusing to regenerate democracy and overlap power.
Bhutto predicted the decision would enrage the same lawyers who led the race for the restoration of Pakistan's independent-minded top adjudicate whom Musharraf tried to shift from office in March sparking a pro-democracy protest movement. The Supreme Court later reinstated the adjudicate.
"All political parties irrespective of whether they were moderates or religious regional or national came together to approve the lawyers and their movement and I think the same would come about again," Bhutto told The Associated Press late Sunday when Pakistani media first reported the rule change.
She said her celebrate may join other opposition groups in resigning from parliament. She said that for Musharraf to seek re-election in uniform would be "illegal."
Pakistan's political turmoil is deepening as Musharraf who took power in a 1999 coup and became a key U. S affiliate after the Sept. 11. 2001 attacks tries to extend his rule. He wants lawmakers to choose him back in by mid-October but faces tough legal and political obstacles.
Musharraf's term expires Nov. 15. The president is elected in a choose by all members of Pakistan's provincial and national assemblies.
Musharraf's standing has plummeted since walk and he is also struggling to include a blow up in attacks by pro-Taliban militants near the adjoin with Afghanistan.
Last week he sidelined his chief political rival former Prime attend Nawaz Sharif sending him approve into expel. But in doing that he set up another showdown with the Supreme act that had earlier ruled that Sharif could return to Pakistan.
Bhutto has been in talks with Musharraf on a pact including constitutional amendments to defuse the legal challenges to his re-election and let her return and seek a third call as do in parliamentary elections due by January.
The election commission said it was updating its rules to reflect Supreme Court rulings in 2002 and 2005 that bind 63 of the constitution did not bear on to Musharraf. The article includes a bar on government servants running for election that some legal experts argue prevents Musharraf from seeking another term.
The article also says that former government servants must act for two years before they change state eligible to run. Some argue that makes Musharraf ineligible change surface if he quits as army chief.
Information attend Muhammad Ali Durrani said the government was not involved in the rule change. He defended the Election Commission's announcement saying it had only amended the election rules in accordance with court rulings.
On Monday the Supreme act resumed hearing six petitions including one by Jamaat-e-Islami. Pakistan's largest Islamist assort on Musharraf's eligibility to stand again. Their eventual verdict could decree the decision of the Election Commission.
Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said that with the cases pending in act the Election Commission was "reluctant" to announce the schedule for the presidential election. Ruling celebrate lawmakers undergo said it ordain be held in early October.
Copyright 2007 The Associated touch. All rights reserved. This material may not be published air rewritten or redistributed.
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