Return of 'corrupt' politicians ruled out

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday vowed he would not allow corrupt politicians who looted the country to return to power and urged the people to elect honest and good representatives in the October 10 elections.

"The Election Commission is carrying out the entire process independently," Musharraf told a select gathering of government officials, councillors and editors at the governor's house in Karachi, his first visit to the city after an attempt to assassinate him went awry in April this year.

The government has nothing to do with the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers of any politician, including that of two former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, he said.

"Do we want those former prime ministers back after what they have done to this country?" he asked. "This is the basic question we face today."

Musharraf arrived in Karachi on Monday evening amid unprecedented security. A few hours before his arrival, the police banned parking on the entire route from the airport to the governor's house from where Musharraf's motorcade had to pass.

The government officials gave little details about Musharraf's engagements and meetings in this unannounced visit.

Security for Musharraf is extra-high since the arrest of four suspected militants in July who revealed that they tried to kill Musharraf by blowing up his motorcade during a visit to Karachi on April 26.

The militants had packed a vehicle with explosives and parked it on the road from where Musharraf's motorcade had to pass. The explosives failed to detonate.

Since then, this is Musharraf's first visit to Karachi - his hometown.

In August, Musharraf cancelled a planned visit at the last minute on security concerns.

Musharraf said that returning officers rejected Bhutto's nomination papers. "I am not guiding them either to accept the papers of Nawaz Sharif or reject the papers of Benazir Bhutto," he said.

The Election Commission rejected Bhutto's nomination papers saying that convicted people are not allowed to run in elections.

Bhutto has been given three-year prison terms each by a court for abstaining from its proceedings in two cases. But Sharif's nomination papers were accepted, though he is also a convicted person.

Later, Sharif, who is living in exile in Saudi Arabia, withdrew his nomination papers as a mark of solidarity with Bhutto - his one-time ace political rival.

Musharraf said that he was not trying to strike a deal with Sharif or Bhutto. Instead, they are sending messages from all sides and trying to open channels, he said.

Musharraf, who accuses both these exiled politicians of massive corruption, has vowed scores of time that he will not allow them a role in the future political setup.

Musharraf said that he would ensure free, fair and transparent elections on October 10, which will return the country to democracy after a three-year military rule.

"There will be absolutely no rigging, no encouragement to any one and no interference in the election process," he said.

Musharraf, who toppled the elected government of Sharif, also defended his sweeping constitutional amendments, which have formalised the role of military in the government through the powerful National Security Council and have restored president's power to dismiss the elected governments.

"The nation is more important than any thing else. The first priority goes to the nation, while every other thing is secondary," he said.

"Democracy is important, but the nation and Pakistan are more important."