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Pak army rigs poll, admits ISI ex-chief

Islamabad, October 19
Admitting that Pakistan army has to rig elections to perpetuate its hold on power, a former ISI chief has said President Pervez Musharraf should quit as army chief after the next elections but continue as President for another term.

Former ISI Director General Asad Durrani said an army regime only digs itself deeper into its hole as time passes and it has to rig elections to perpetuate its power.

Durrani told a gathering at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington yesterday that Musharraf should take off his uniform and stay in power thereafter for four to five years, Daily Times reported.

Apparently referring to the present government headed by Shaukat Aziz, he said civilians elected with the help of a military government are usually those who either cannot be elected on their own or have “some skeletons” to hide.

But a military government is forced to create this “civilian facade” to legitimise the takeover, he said.

“Some of those politicians who become part of this facade have a murky background. Some cannot win elections on their own. Some have skeletons to hide. Some do it for benefits,” he said. — PTI