By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is committed to holding legitimate elections despite the lingering issue of him retaining his post as army chief as he seeks a second term, US Assistant Secretary for State Richard Boucher said here Thursday after talks with the military ruler.
“Our interest in this election is that it is free and fair,” Boucher told a press briefing in Islamabad at the end of a two-day visit to Pakistan his tenth since his appointment a year and a half ago.
“I see that everyone including the president is committed to the elections,” he added.
Fears that Musharraf could postpone or cancel the polls amid growing militancy and instability in Pakistan grew last week when he summoned security chiefs to discuss the possible imposition of the emergency rule. He later said no drastic measures would be taken and that the polls would go ahead as planned.
Musharraf, an army general who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, is under pressure by the opposition to step down as the head of the army before he seeks re-election by the current parliament in September or October. General elections of a new parliament are due to follow within three months.
The president, who is a key US ally in the war against terrorism, had given assurances that the issue would be dealt with in accordance with the constitution, said Boucher, who also met opposition leaders.
Musharraf has repeatedly said that he is entitled under Pakistani law to retain his uniform.
Boucher’s visit came amid evident strains in bilateral ties over the fight against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network, which the Pentagon says has regrouped in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Calls have been heard in the US for unilateral strikes against targets in Pakistan. These have fuelled criticism among Pakistanis of Musharraf’s close cooperation with Washington, and have also angered his government, which says its sacrifices in the fight against extremism and terrorism are not fully valued.
Boucher, however, refused to be drawn on the matter.
“We know there is a threat and that Pakistan is trying to deal with it. If either side has actionable intelligence we will work together to ensure that those threats are dealt with,” he said.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama recently said that if elected he would authorize unilateral strikes in Pakistan. Another cause of alarm were remarks by Republican candidate Tom Tancredo that terrorists should be warned that any nuclear attack on US soil would draw retaliatory strikes against Muslim holy sites.
At their talks Wednesday, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told Boucher that such statements were “insane” and hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world.
He and Musharraf also voiced strong objections to new legislation adopted by the US Congress that links military aid to Pakistan with its counter-terrorism performance. This was “counter-productive” and “contrary to the spirit of Pakistan-US strategic relationship”, Kasuri said.
Boucher said that in the testimonial reports that the legislation demands, the US administration would gladly furnish Congress with a recommendation of Pakistan’s performance, he stressed, describing as “healthy and positive” the two countries’ relations.
“I will point out the steps Pakistan has taken, the sacrifices it has made and the further efforts that are planned (in counter-terrorism),” he told journalists.
Meanwhile, after separate talks with Boucher Thursday, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said the US has backed an initiative from tribal leaders to establish dialogue with some elements of the Taliban.
“The US administration has expressed its full support for the decisions taken by Pakistani-Afghan joint peace jirga held last week in Kabul, including the strategy that those Taliban who are moderate and ready to shun violence should be included in Afghanistan’s mainstream politics,” Sherpao said.