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Musharaff lets Azad Kashmir go to poll

Pakistan's new military rulers on Wednesday allowed election in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, despite their refusal to let be known when the civilian central government would be restored.

General Pervez Musharraf's three-week-old government decided to honour election to a legislative council, which deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharief had ordered.

Three political parties are vying for the 23 seats at stake in the 33-seat northern areas legislative council. One member was declared elected unopposed. Nine others will be elected by the 24 directly elected members to fill the five reserved seats for women and four for technocrats.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party is likely to emerge a major group in the council, followed by the Shi'ite Muslim Tehrik-e-Jafari and Sharief's Pakistan Muslim League, local newspapers said.

The election was decided on before the October 12 military coup that toppled Sharief. The region, called northern areas, is the home of Pakistan's elite Northern Light Infantry.

UNI

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