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Fair poll not possible: U.S.

Washington: The U.S. has stuck to its demand that emergency be lifted in Pakistan to ensure free and fair elections after President Pervez Musharraf ruled out any such move despite growing domestic and international pressure.

“We don’t see how it is possible to have free and fair elections under emergency rule.

“You want to have emergency rule lifted so that people could protest peacefully or that they could campaign and so that a free media can cover the elections, as we do here,” said White House Press secretary Dana Perino on Wednesday.

She was asked to respond to an interview by Gen. Musharraf in which he said that emergency rule was likely continue through the January elections.

Asked if clamping of emergency in Pakistan had affected President George W Bush’s personal relationship with his Pakistani counterpart, she said, “The President doesn’t take this personally. The President believes that it’s incumbent upon him as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States to work with a fellow leader in order to help them along the path to democracy.

“He feels an obligation to work with him and not to just try to...throw up our hands and to walk away.” — PTI

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