Pakistan politician calls vote "a farce"

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Less than two weeks before this country's crucial Feb. 18 elections, the man who supplanted slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as Pakistan's most widely known politician has left the country, reflecting a growing concern over possible vote rigging and fraud.

Nawaz Sharif, a two-time former prime minister, went to the United Arab Emirates this week, apparently to be with his wife as she underwent surgery in Dubai.

In Dubai, Sharif told reporters that he expected the vote to be "a farce" and holds no hope for a free and fair vote.

"There will be vast rigging," said Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, The chairman of Sharif's political party, "I think there will be chaos, a serious public reaction afterward."

Sharif, 58, is the politician with the highest stature in Pakistan after the assassination in late December of Bhutto, with whom he alternated terms as prime minister during much of the 1990s.

He's a bitter adversary of President Pervez Musharraf, who toppled him from power eight years ago and later threw him in jail. U.S. officials have cited Musharraf repeatedly in recent months as "indispensable" in the global fight against Islamic terrorism.

Analysts say Sharif expects postelection tumult to force Musharraf from power and a period of political confusion to ensue.

"He's not banking on this election," said Zahid Hussain, a journalist and author of "Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam." "He's trying to create conditions for Musharraf to leave power. That's his main objective. He feels another election will take place soon, maybe within six months or a year's time."

Sharif's and Musharraf's distaste for each other dates to Sharif's last period as prime minister, which lasted from Feb. 17, 1997, until Oct. 12, 1999, when he was overthrown by Musharraf.

Pollsters say that food and energy shortages, combined with rising terrorism, have made Musharraf unpopular. A Gallup Poll conducted in December, before the Bhutto assassination on Dec. 27, found that 68 percent of voters wanted Musharraf to step down.

The same Gallup Poll also helps explain the national gloom that has cloaked the country despite the prospect of elections. The poll found that only 15 percent of voters expect the vote to be free and fair, while 53 percent said it would be rigged. The rest could not give a definite answer.

"I've never seen such a lackluster campaign," said Hussain, the journalist.