The White House welcomed on Thursday the fact that President Pervez Musharraf has "clarified" the date for Pakistan's elections, but urged him to take further steps toward democratic rule. "We think it is a good thing that President Musharraf has clarified the election date for the Pakistani people," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Calling Musharraf's election announcement "a positive step," State Department spokesman McCormack said "there are still other important steps that need to be taken in order for Pakistan to return to the pathway of democracy and constitutional rule." One of those, he said, is for Musharraf to shed his military uniform.
"We as well as others have asked him to follow through on the promises he has made. And we have made it clear, others have made it clear that we expect him to abide by those promises," McCormack told reporters. "More importantly I believe the Pakistani people expect him to abide by those promises."
Senior senators meanwhile urged an end to the state of emergency in Pakistan by introducing a resolution to pressure Musharraf. The resolution, put forth by former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, urges a review of military assistance to war-on-terror ally Pakistan while the state of emergency remains in effect. It calls on Musharraf to "restore the constitution, follow through on the pledge to relinquish his position as chief of the Army and allow for free and fair elections to be held in accordance with the timeframe announced ... by the government of Pakistan," their offices said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Britain welcomed President Pervez Musharraf's decision to hold elections by February 15, but regretted they would be later than planned. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also doubted they could be fair under emergency rule and urged him to restore the constitution.
"We welcome the further clarification but regret the fact that the original timetable isn't being met," a Foreign Office spokesman told AFP. "It's vital that the constitution is restored and other restrictions lifted immediately. Without that there is serious doubt as to whether the elections can be held in free and fair conditions."
The spokesman said Musharraf's announcement did not affect the review of British aid to Pakistan, currently scheduled to total 480 million pounds (one billion dollars, 690 million euros) over three years from next year. Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called on army chief Musharraf to set a specific date for elections in January and warned that the current crisis could impact on British aid.
He also called for the release of political prisoners, the easing of restrictions on the media and for Musharraf to honour a commitment to stand down as head of the army. Elections "must take place in January and the most suitable time is January 15 which is when they (had) been set for," Miliband said.
Comments
Comments are closed.