By EuAsiaNews
Brussels: The European Union is welcoming the public commitment made by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that elections in Pakistan to on 18 February will be held in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner.
At the same time, the 27-member European bloc is voicing concerns about a number of issues relating to the conduct of the elections.
The EU Presidency in a statement on Friday urged the authorities in Pakistan to take all possible steps in the remaining days to improve the conditions in which the elections are being held.
” The transparency of the electoral process will be essential to restoring public confidence and ultimate progress towards national reconciliation,” stressed the statement.
Slovenia holds the current six-month rotating EU Presidency.
The EU has deployed an Election Observation Mission to Pakistan which will offer an independent assessment of the conduct of the elections in accordance with international standards for democratic elections.