ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem said on Wednesday the forthcoming general elections would be free and fair. Talking to Geo TV, he said foul play is not expected in the elections, as independent media will help ensure their transparency

President General Pervez Musharraf has declared that the general elections in the country would be held on time and neither emergency would be clamped nor the army would be called. Talking to the Geo News ace anchorman Kamran Khan in an interview here, he disclosed that the Inspector leading the attack on Islamabad Geo office was mysteriously missing.

PPP-P Punjab president Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said PPP will deliver crushing defeat to ruling party in next election with the support of masses.

Pakistan People's Party Vice-Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the PPP will not compromise on principles and it will resist President Pervez Musharraf's re-election in uniform by the present assemblies.
He, however, did not rule out the possibility of supporting the president if he contested elections without uniform, saying that the party's central executive committee would then decide the matter.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Sindh President Zubair Khan claimed here on Tuesday that the party’s popularity graph had been on the rise, especially in Sindh, for the past several months despite the threats hurled by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement at its activists.

Defence minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal has said PPP (Patroit) has not decided so far to merge into ruling PML-Q.He said this while talking to the journalists here Sunday after addressing the oath taking ceremony of newly elected office bearers of Pakistan Medical; Association Okara.
He held PPP (Patriots) is working for the promotion of democracy in their own way in the country. Role played by Patriots has led to strengthen the democracy in the country.

JHELUM: Rejecting any deal with the government, the PPP chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that the opposition parties were united over one point agenda of restoration of democracy in the country. He expressed these views while talking to reporters at the wedding party of the son of Rahila Mehdi, the district president women wing, PPP here.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that the rulers had no courage to tolerate the opposition parties. He said that democracy caravan had taken start from Rawalpindi that has put the government in anxiety. "The caravans will continue their journey uninterrupted as the PPP has its roots in the masses," he added.

ISLAMABAD, Jan 18: Pakistan Peoples Party (Patriots) leaders from Punjab have started merger talks with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and a formal announcement is likely on Saturday at a news conference.
Sources said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had given the splinter faction choice to merge with the PML to boost its chances of success in the next general elections.

Late on Thursday, MNAs Nisar Ahmed Jatt and Raees Munir Ahmed and Makhdoom Ashfaq Ahmed, a Punjab minister, announced joining the PML in the presence of Chaudhry Shujaat.

PESHAWAR: PML-N secretary general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra has said his party has never talked of boycotting the elections adding PML-N will not leave the electoral field open for general Musharraf
He said this while addressing Khyber union of journalists program "Mulaqat" here Tuesday.
He held the genuine democracy could not be revived in the country due to persistent intervention from the military.

ISLAMABAD: MMA central leader Liaqat Baloch has said religious alliance has two opinions on resignation issue. He said this while talking to the journalists at Al-Falah hall here on Tuesday. He held M MA tabled several bills in Senate and National Assembly for the protection of women rights, which were killed in speaker’s chamber. Some were killed by law ministry and some are still pending with standing committees.
He went on to say that not only the ulema have condemned the Women Protection Bill (WPB) but coalition partners of ruling PML-Q are also opposed to it.
" We have not talked of boycotting senate session, therefore, our senator will attend it", he told. There is no hope that government will do any good, therefore, MMA will not support it in its evil doings.

Acknowledging the vote bank of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P), Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Federal Minister for Railways however said that both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif can not come into power again.

Talking to reporters after the inauguration ceremony of 6 day Teachers Training Workshop in Pakistan Railway School Lady Griffin, the Federal Minister said that the Charter of Democracy is just a paper, the opposition in fact has no consensus candidate.

The Federal Minister said that if negotiations would be held with PPP-P, it would be held on the conditions of President Musharraf.

Terming the visit of President Musharraf to five Middle East countries significant for the future of the region, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the situation would be entirely changed if situation is worsened further in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.