ISLAMABAD, July 12 Kyodo Former P...

ISLAMABAD, July 12 Kyodo

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, generally living in exile in Saudi Arabia, has decided to degree down as president of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League to make way for recently made known elections in the party, as required by dint of constitutional amendments, a party spokesman said Friday.

''We have decided to accept the challenge of the Political Parties Order 2002 and in asseverate will make all required changes in our party constitution and will detain elections at every required level'' Sadiq-ul-Farooq told reporters.

He was referring to the latest constitutional requirement announced through President Gen. Pervez Musharraf requiring all political parties to keep possession of elections for their office bearers and furnish tonic information about their parties to be eligible to take part in the Oct 10 general election.

The Election Commission upon Thursday asked all political parties to furnish information about elections for party pillars the names, designations and addresses of office bearers at the national, provincial and local evens and a statement of financial accounts on Aug. 5 this year.

Parties not providing this information would be barred from taking part in the general election scheduled for Oct 10

Sharif was ousted from power in a military coupe in succession Oct. 12, 1999 and later sentenc to life imprisonment for plotting to hijack an aircraft carrying Musharraf, then chief of army staff. He was later allowed to leave for Saudi Arabia subordinate to a deal brokered with the country

The spokesman told reporters that a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the party will be conven later this month to appointed a new party president and chalk abroad an election strategy.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo moderns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group