Soomro promises free and fair polls

Islamabad: Promising free and fair general elections, caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro has invited the opposition to give their suggestions for the electoral exercise.

Talking to reporters after taking oath at the presidency, Soomro was silent on whether he would seek the lifting of emergency rule ahead of the election promised by President Pervez Musharraf before next January 9.

But he vowed to work to create a "conducive environment" for the polls in cooperation with the Election Commission.

He advised the opposition not to bring people on to the streets and cooperate in maintaining peace and security.

Soomro said the opposition would be welcomed to hold talks with the interim setup.

About political activists, lawyers and others arrested since the imposition of emergency, Soomro said he had been told that the process to free them had begun. "We will see; we do not want anyone to be held unnecessarily."

Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro comes from a political family of southern Sindh province which has been active in public life since 1923.

Born on August 19, 1950, Soomro earned a B.Sc. degree from Forman Christian College, Lahore, and M.Sc. degree in physics from the Punjab University, followed by M.Sc. in Operations Management from Northrop University in the United States.

He has held executive positions in banks both at home and abroad, including Bank of America. The positions included general manager and CEO of International Bank of Yemen, Faysal Islamic Bank of Bahrain, Muslim Commercial Bank, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Federal Bank of Cooperatives and National Bank of Pakistan. Head of the Soomro tribe in Sindh, he was Senate chairman before his appointment to lead the interim government to hold general elections. Soomro's role in public life started with his appointment as Governor of Sindh on May 25, 2000. He resigned from gubernatorial office on December 26, 2002 to contest the Senate elections. He was elected as chairman of the Senate on March 12, 2003, for a three-year term.

He was re-elected on March 12, 2006, for the second term.