A new book to be released this Friday accuses former president Pervaiz Musharraf of massive rigging in the 2008 general elections, according to newspaper reports.
“The vigorous pursuit of power by Musharraf and his cronies largely accounted for unlawful practices,” said Iffat Humayun Khan, the author of the books.
“Right from the announcement of the date of elections till the conclusion, the regime was making studied moves to manipulate the elections. The aim was to ensure not only Musharraf’s survival but also that of his carefully crafted system. The regime attached no importance to elections as necessary adjunct of democracy except for its regime’s legitimising aspect,” wrote Khan.
The “system-rigging”, Khan noted, took place because the government was non-competitive since the president had all the powers and influenced the whole process throughout the elections. He took every step necessary for winning by tempering with the Constitution, imposing emergency rule, curbing the media and the judiciary, and influencing the Election Commission, using arbitrary means to disqualify his opponents, and allowing the preparation of inaccurate electoral lists. The manipulators were the military, bureaucrats and the politicians besides foreign forces, which were also involved to some extent, she wrote.
New book accuses Musharraf of rigging 2008 polls
