Court delays Pakistan election results
Pakistan’s looming presidential elections were thrown into chaos by a legal ruling today.
The country’s supreme court declared that tomorrow’s ballot can go ahead but the winner can only be declared after it decides on claims that runaway favourite and current president Pervez Musharraf is an illegal candidate.
It could take up to 11 days to complete the process meaning the country will be in political limbo after the election, and it clouds the gathering prospect of a power-sharing deal with former premier Benazir Bhutto.
President Musharraf and Mrs Bhutto, both liberal and pro-US, appeared yesterday to have agreed details of an amnesty for former officials that would scrap long-standing corruption cases against her and other politicians – smoothing the way for her planned return from exile on October 18.
The government said it would respect the court ruling.
“We have always accepted and respected court rulings, and we also accept today’s ruling,” deputy information minister Tariq Azim said.
