Elections are taking place in Pakistan on Monday 18th February 2008.

The elections were originally scheduled for 8th January 2008, but had to be delayed due to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Given the great significance of theses elections, the turnout should be higher than normal but the fear of violence and election boycotting may see a low turnout. More than 400 people have already been killed this year.

President Musharraf has promised that the elections will be “free and fair”.

Can a desperate president who last year imposed a state of emergency, sacked and arrested dozens of “independently thinking” Supreme Court judges who refused to accept his un-constitutional emergency decree and arrested thousands of his non-political opponents just to remain in power, really offer the People of Pakistan " free, fair, transparent and peaceful"" elections?

Many people in Pakistan and abroad do not believe that these polls will be free, fair and transparent.

Even the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia expects Pakistan election fraud to be “On a scale from terrible to great” to be “somewhere in the middle."

Although the emergency has been lifted, the Supreme Court judges are still under house arrest.

During the emergency, the Musharraf’s government was at pains to point out that it was not martial law but a minor constitutional act. Even during martial law, the constitution is not suspended.

Musharraf himself admitted to the world that his decree was unconstitutional. The only Supreme Court judges sitting today have sworn allegiance to this un-constitutional decree. His next step was to ensure that the next elected government would not be able to prosecute him.

Musharraf also has the power to dismiss any elected governments at his discretion.

The imposition of the emergency had seen the poor suffer great hardship due to the shortage of and doubling of prices on basic food items. Even today the prices of basic items like flour are way above what the masses can afford.

Musharraf did this because he did not want Pakistan to commit suicide?
Or was it, to commit suicide?

According to a BBC poll, Pakistanis say that stability and security in Pakistan would improve if President Musharraf resigned.

Musharraf may no longer be the head of the army. His popularity may be very low. His authority has been widely challenged. The Pakistanis may not want him. But he still enjoys the backing of western governments.

The Foreign Secretary David Miliband said “In Pakistan, the path to democracy begins with free and fair elections, but it needs deeper roots: an independent judiciary.”

Pakistan had an independent judiciary before Musharraf sacked it, to remain in power. It does not take long to restore it. Beginning with these mock “free and fair” elections and not calling for the immediate re-instatement of the “independent” judiciary will be a kick in the teeth for democracy and set it back by decades.

How many Supreme Court judges would jeopardize their entire future and their families future and refuse to approve an un-constitutional order even by the head of state?