Musharraf barred from Pakistan elections

Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who returned to his homeland from exile just weeks ago pledging to become its next prime minister, was barred from the race Tuesday by election judges. An appellate panel in Peshawar disqualified Musharraf from running for a parliamentary seat in a northwestern district where he had earlier been approved and stood a chance of winning. Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan for nine years but left in 2008 under threat of certain impeachment, also has been barred from running for three other parliamentary seats in other districts. Musharraf’s campaign blamed the disqualifications on biased electoral officials, noting that they are drawn from the judiciary, which in 2007 launched a movement to unseat Musharraf. “We were anticipating this from the very beginning,” said Aasia Ishaq, spokeswoman for Musharraf’s campaign. Ishaq said Musharraf’s party would appeal the election panel’s ruling to the Supreme Court and continue with its plans to field candidates. The party, she said, has already picked 125 candidates to run for seats in the historic May 11 election, which would bring the first transition of elected governments in Pakistan’s history. The chances of Musharraf resuming his campaign seem as slim as his prospects for victory. He has found little public support since his return last month from Dubai— his home in exile along with London— although some Pakistanis say they believe he managed the economy better and made the country more secure. But the retired general is widely criticized for his autocratic efforts to stay in office — including suspending the constitution and sacking the Supreme Court. Today the court is headed by the same chief justice that Musharraf fired and is hearing a case by lawyers who want Musharraf tried for treason. Musharraf can seek a stay of the election judges’ ruling, but the process would probably drag on beyond the election, said lawyer and constitutional expert S.M. Zafar. “Legally, he can go to higher courts, but practically, he seems to be out of the race and he holds no chance to contest the polls,” Zafar said. On Monday, Musharraf unveiled the platform of his party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, and reiterated why he had returned to the country at the risk of jail and death at the hands of militants who have say they have created a special squad to kill him. “The only thing in my heart was to save Pakistan,” he told reporters. “And now [that] I am here I have the same commitment, that I will save Pakistan.”