Pakistan to Hold Elections

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani national elections will take place before February 15, President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday, after Western allies and opponents had demanded polls be held on time and emergency rule scrapped.

"There is no doubt in my mind that elections should be held on time, as soon as possible," Musharraf told official media after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council.

"It was my commitment and I am fulfilling it."

General Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless 1999 coup, added he would quit the military and be sworn in as a civilian president once the Supreme Court rules whether he was eligible to stand for re-election last month while still army chief.

The announcement went some way to assuaging criticism from Musharraf's main overseas backer, the United States.

"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.

Many Pakistanis remained skeptical.

"I don't trust him. Military rulers in Pakistan never fulfilled their promise," said Nighat Anis, a retired teacher in Islamabad. "It's our history. We have always been cheated."

It remains to be seen whether Musharraf can control events set in train by his shock decision last Saturday to declare emergency rule, suspend the constitution, sack most of the country's judges and round up the majority of the opposition leadership, and anyone else deemed troublesome.

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who has thrown down the gauntlet by threatening to lead mass protests, said Musharraf needed to do more.

"We don't want vague and generalized statements. We want upfront answers," she told a news conference, responding to Musharraf's comments.

Musharraf has a problem in his own backyard. As Lawhawk has been detailing for sometime, Musharraf faces opposition from the terrorists his country harbors, the military who want his power, the people who don't want a military dictatorship, and the international community that he is trying to appease.

Pakistani elections have a significant impact on the United States and the War on Terror. Pakistan is an alleged ally in the region. Pakistan also has the bomb, and the knowledge to make more. This is an issue for not only neighboring India, also a nuclear power, but the world. An unstable Pakistan, controlled by a terror group, selling bombs and technology to every terror group in the world. Personally, I am not sure if Musharraf is the answer, or if Benazir Bhutto is any better.

The next question is, what will the election process become? Will opposition candidates find themselves under constant threats for their lives like in Lebanon? Will it be a free and open election? Will major parties boycott the elections so they can protest the "non-legitimate" nature of the new government? Well I am sure Jimmy Carter will be there to certify the election results, no matter how corrupt the process becomes.