By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : The United States says it’s “deeply disturbed” by its key ally Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of emergency rule in apparent defiance of Washington and asked him to hold elections by Jan 15 as promised.
“A state of emergency would be a sharp setback for Pakistani democracy and takes Pakistan off the path toward civilian rule,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stated Saturday as the general’s move took official Washington by surprise.
President George Bush was away at his weekend retreat in Texas and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on a six-day trip to Turkey, Israel, and the Palestinian territories when Musharraf struck.
“Musharraf has stated repeatedly that he will step down as Chief of Army Staff before re-taking the presidential oath of office and has promised to hold elections by January 15th,” McCormack recalled. “We expect him to uphold these commitments and urge him to do so immediately.”
In a somewhat low key reaction, he said, “The United States stand with the people of Pakistan in supporting a democratic process and in countering violent extremism.
“We urge all parties to work together to complete the transition to democracy and civilian rule without violence or delay.”
Rice, who reportedly had been trying to dissuade Musharraf from taking the extreme step herself, said, “.the US has made clear that it does not support extra-constitutional measures because those measures would take Pakistan away from the path of democracy and civilian rule.”
“And whatever happens, we will be urging a quick return to a constitutional order, we will be urging that the commitment to hold free and fair elections be kept, and we’ll be urging calm on all the parties,” she told reporters on her way to Tel Aviv.
In remarks posted on the state department website, Rice described the situation in Pakistan as “an unfolding story” but suggested, “We’ve not heard from President Musharraf, to my knowledge, yet.”
Earlier Thursday on her way to Ankara she told reporters “We’re in constant contact with the leadership and the political leaders in Pakistan. But you know, I’m not going to speculate on what might happen.”
Asked if she or Bush had specifically advised Musharraf not to declare martial law under any circumstances, Rice declined to “get into the details of our conversations, but I think it would be quite obvious that the United States wouldn’t be supportive of extra-constitutional means.”
The US has been very clear that Pakistan needs to prepare for and hold free and fair elections by beginning of next year and the political space needs to be prepared by moderate forces beginning to work together, she said, explaining Washington’s support to former premier Benazir Bhutto.
That “is why we’ve been supportive of moderate forces like Bhutto’s return and that the moderate forces have a common enemy in the extremists who are so much in evidence when you know there’s a car bomb at Rawalpindi or when there’s a-the Red Mosque incident,” Rice said without admitting any US role in brokering a deal between Musharraf and Bhutto.
Last August too amid reports of an impending emergency in Pakistan, Rice had called Musharraf twice, once around 2 a.m. Pakistan time, to express Washington’s strong opposition to the move and seek greater efforts toward civilian rule through democratic elections.
The move to forge a partnership between Musharraf and Bhutto followed as Washington continued its tight rope walk urging the general to shed his uniform while retaining close terms with its crucial ally against the Al Qaeda in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan in fighting terrorism.
Musharraf stepped back from the brink then at US bidding, but this time challenges from a hostile judiciary, Islamist militants and political rivals apparently forced his hand.