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By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Islamabad
31 December 2007
Political violence in Pakistan is declining a day after the party of the slain1 opposition2 leader Benazir Bhutto announced it would contest upcoming elections. The pressure is now on President Pervez Musharraf to hold the polls, and electoral officials say they will announce on Tuesday whether or not to postpone3 the January 8 elections. Senior government and electoral officials told news agencies Monday the ballot4 will likely be postponed5 for at least several weeks.VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Islamabad has more.
Life is slowly returning to normal across Pakistan just four days after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated6 as she was leaving a rally in Rawalpindi. But political conflict continues over when to hold elections.
Ms. Bhutto's death caused chaos7 as violence broke out across this nuclear-armed nation, killing8 more than 40 people, damaging millions of dollars worth of property.
Shoaib Memon, the director of the Karachi Stock Exchange, which plunged9 4.7 percent after opening Monday, says the market will not improve unless elections are held soon.
"If elections are deferred10 that would add uncertainties11 and I think in the next few weeks we can see markets falling by another 10 to 15 percen," said Memon.
Elections officials said Monday the decision on whether or not to postpone the January 8 elections would be announced Tuesday.
Fazalur Rehman, director of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, says it is vital to hold elections.
"I think that is very crucial. Elections are going to be held under any circumstances, if not now maybe a few weeks down the road, but certainly they'll have to hold elections," said Rehman. "The people are in no mood to compromise on that."
On Sunday, Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party announced her 19-year-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zadari, would lead the PPP. Her husband, Asif Ali Zadari, as co-chairman, will run the party while his son returns to Oxford12 University in Britain to finish his studies. The PPP also said it would contest the polls.
Opposition parties are demanding the government hold the elections on January 8 as planned, but an official with the country's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim-Q, said the polls could be delayed for up to three or four months.
Political analyst13 Fazalur Rehman says the government of President Pervez Musharraf is likely to be concerned the PPP will gain too much power if the elections are held now.
"It's a big question for President Musharraf because now the PPP will certainly have a lot of sympathy vote… and the PPP can emerge as the very strong political party in the parliament," added Rehman. "So that is something, which might be a major concern for the government."
While most of the country appeared to be recovering from the violence on Monday, sporadic14 violence still broke out in parts of Pakistan with protestors firing into the air in the southern city of Hyderabad and throwing stones.
1 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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2 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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3 postpone | |
v.延期,推迟 | |
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4 ballot | |
n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票 | |
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5 postponed | |
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发) | |
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6 assassinated | |
v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 );中伤;诋毁;破坏 | |
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7 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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8 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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9 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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10 deferred | |
adj.延期的,缓召的v.拖延,延缓,推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 );服从某人的意愿,遵从 | |
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11 uncertainties | |
无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 ); 不确定; 变化不定; 无把握、不确定的事物 | |
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12 Oxford | |
n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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13 analyst | |
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家 | |
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14 sporadic | |
adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular;分散的 | |
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