A Novel Technique Of Election By Musharraf

General Musharraf has said the elections will be held under emergency rule, which has put severe curbs on the press, scrapped much of the judiciary and forbidden large gatherings.

Because of these strictures, the European Union had decided to cancel the arrival of a team of long-term election monitors, said the chargé d’affaires of the European Commission delegation in Pakistan, Balthasar Benz.

The Bush administration has called the quality of the elections a test of General Musharraf’s commitment to democracy and has committed $26 million for election assistance in Pakistan. Much of that money has already been spent on a program to computerize the voter rolls.

But a delegation of the National Democratic Institute from Washington, headed by a former Democratic senator, Tom Daschle, found severe shortcomings in the election preparations during an October visit to Pakistan. The group singled out faulty electoral rolls as a major problem, saying there were approximately 10 million entries that could not be verified.

The Associated Press reported that the Bush administration was looking into overhauling the way billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan was distributed, as calls mount to cut such assistance. Washington may impose new conditions or limit direct payments to Pakistan’s government, The A.P. said.

With only three days to go before nominations close, it may turn out the government will find a novel solution to the question of Mr. Ahsan’s participation.

The chief commissioner of the Pakistan Election Commission, Qazi Muhammed Farook, said on television this week that some of those being held in jail under the emergency rule would be allowed out to file their papers, and would then be returned to their cells.

“It’s possible they will bring him in custody to sign the nominating papers,” and then take him back to jail, Mrs. Ahsan said.