Report: Pakistan elections to be postponed by up to 3 or 4 months

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pakistan's crucial Jan. 8 parliamentary elections are likely to be postponed by up to three or four months following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a spokesman for the ruling party said Sunday. Tariq Azim, information secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, said the vote would lose credibility if it was held now, with Bhutto's party in mourning and other opposition groups intent on boycotting. He expected authorities to announce a delay within 24 hours. "How long the postponement will be for is up to the Election Commission," he told The Associated Press. "I think we are looking at a delay of a few weeks ... of up to three or four months."