President Pervez Musharraf on Monday denied that his regime had anything to do with the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and called on the EU to back his country, not criticise it.
Musharraf, starting a four-nation tour of Europe, also rejected charges that the media was suppressed in Pakistan or that his country's nuclear arsenal could fall into extremist hands. "Pakistan is in the forefront of fighting terrorism, so help us instead of criticising us," Musharraf urged during an audience with the European parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Poverty was "at the core of the long-term strategy against terrorism," he said, adding that therefore the fight against terrorism could be aided "by allowing Pakistan to have more trade and investing in Pakistan".
In particular he called for favoured access of Pakistani products to the European market, a right reserved to countries respecting certain rights and obligations.
Musharraf defended his record, arguing that an "extraordinary situation" had necessitated the imposition of a national state of emergency last November. "I am not a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," he said, adding that "I am the same person as I was in 1999" when he came to power. He dismissed as "misinformed" accusations that the government or security forces were involved in the killing of Benazir on December 27. "Such conspiracy theories are trash," he said.
"Pakistan is not a banana republic," he assured, adding that the former prime minister had been "careless" in leaving the safety of her bullet-proof vehicle to wave to the crowd when she was killed.
Musharraf also denied any collusion between the security services and Taliban fighters using northern Pakistan as a base for their actions against Nato forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.
He said the fact that the border area was more secure had led the militants to organise attacks in Pakistan itself. Musharraf said the political situation in Pakistan was now more normal again, following the state of emergency and the assassination.
"The democratic transition that was being derailed was put back on the rail," he stressed, promising that the February 18 elections would be "free, fair, transparent and peaceful".
Musharraf gave MEPs a strongly- worded defence of his democratic credentials. Those credentials had been called into question following the 2007 sacking of chief justice, the declaration of emergency rule, the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and the postponement of elections initially planned for January 8.
"What do you do if a chief justice is politicised, inept, corrupt and nepotistic? "Musharraf asked, before insisting that the removal had been carried out constitutionally. "The democratic transition which had been de-railed was put back on the rails" by his executive decisions, he said.
Earlier on Monday, Solana urged Musharraf to hold "free, fair and peaceful elections" and to restore the rule of law in his country. Speaking after what he described as a "good and frank" exchange of views, Solana said any new Pakistani government should take "the will of the people" into account and should continue on the path of both economic and institutional reform.
"The rule of law has been lacking for years, and we hope very much that the result of the election will allow (Pakistan) to move into that direction, "Solana said. The EU plans to send a team of observers to Pakistan to ensure that the February 18 vote takes place according to democratic rules.
"It is very important, and we made this clear to the president, that the elections are free, fair and peaceful, "Solana said. Solana also said efforts to advance EU-Pakistan relations would have to wait until the results of the vote.
The president also sought to reassure the EU that Pakistan's fight against terrorism and extremism would "continue with all our resolve and determination." And he pledged to continue his country's cooperation with the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Solana noted that the fight against terrorism was "fundamental, not only for the stability of Pakistan but for the (entire) region." Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf pledged to hold free elections but urged the West not to hold Pakistan to unrealistic rights standards.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the former army chief that the February 18 polls meant to complete a transition to civilian rule must be "free, fair and secure" and their conduct would determine the level of future EU cooperation.
"We are determined to hold free, fair and transparent elections, and peaceful elections ... There is no possibility of it being rigged," he told reporters in Brussels, where he met European Union and Nato officials.
Asked how he would handle any victory by political opponents, he replied: "Whoever wins, obviously power will be handed over ... There is no question at all that we will deny forming a government to whichever party forms a majority."
Responding to concerns over human rights and democracy, Musharraf said he believed in both but termed Western preoccupation with the issues "obsessive".
"You have taken centuries in reaching wherever you have come. Allow us time for going for the values that you have established for yourselves.
"We have a feudal tribal environment in some of our provinces, therefore in accordance with our environment we have to adapt democracy, human rights, civil liberties."
Solana said the European Union wanted the elections to bring progress in reform, especially in ensuring the rule of law. "Elections have to be fair and free and secure," he said after talks with Musharraf. "Our cooperation, our level of engagement will be in view of the results of the process."
Musharraf told the briefing Pakistan would continue to fight against extremism with all its resolve and that he had raised Pakistan's bid for greater market access to the EU with Solana. "We need to sustain our economic growth," he said.
A surge of attacks by al Qaeda-linked militants based on the Afghan border has raised concern about Pakistan's stability and its efforts to support Nato and US forces struggling to subdue Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Musharraf said al Qaeda itself was "on the run" in Pakistan but the country was facing a new wave of Taliban militancy.
Solana said he hoped improved chemistry between Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai would bring results and along with continued cooperation with the Nato-led force in Afghanistan make stability in that country a reality. On Tuesday, Musharraf will see French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris and then attend the World Economic Forum in Davos before talks in London with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Commerce Minister Shahzada Alam Monnoo said Pakistan needed a strong elected government, but this was unlikely given ill-feeling generated by Benazir's killing, and elections might have to be held again in another two years.
"There's too much fragmentation," he told reporters. "It has to be a coalition government and a coalition government cannot continually take good decisions."
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