By DPA
Washington : US President George W. Bush believes Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to abandon his post as army chief was a “good step” but he still must end the emergency decree and hold timely elections, the White House said Wednesday.
“The president certainly considers that to be a good step that President Musharraf followed through on his commitment to remove the uniform,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
“The president is calling on President Musharraf and the Pakistani government to lift the emergency order and move forward to the free and fair elections they said that they will hold in January,” Perino added.
Musharraf surrendered control over the army a day before he is set to be sworn in to a second five-year term as president.
The US has long urged Musharraf, an important US ally in the war on terrorism, to resign as military chief to show he is committed to democratic rule.
Musharraf’s ordering of an emergency decree Nov 3 resulted in protests and violent clashes with authorities that also rounded up and arrested political dissidents.