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Pakistan elections will be free and fair, says President Musharraf

London: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Monday assured British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that next month’s general elections would be free and fair and, hopefully, result in a “strong democratic” government.

At a joint press conference with Mr. Brown at Downing Street, General (retd.) Musharraf said he had “detailed” discussions with the British Prime Minister on the steps Islamabad was taking to ensure that the February 18 elections were transparent and free. Gen. Musharraff repeatedly emphasised that the “democratic transition” was well on course. He also claimed “reasonable success” in fighting terrorism and religious extremism, rejecting the criticism that his government was not doing enough.

Earlier, Mr. Brown described Pakistan as a “key ally” in the fight against terror and said a “stable” Pakistan was essential for peace in South Asia. Mr. Brown said he had been assured by Gen. Musharraf that they would be free.

Nirupama Subramanian reports from Islamabad:

The Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was “unaware” of talks between President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Paris last week and would only confirm that the two had a “chance meeting” in the hotel where they were staying.

But an Israeli spokesperson told AFP that after the two met by chance, the Pakistani leader invited Mr. Barak for a meeting the following day. She said the two met for an hour and discussed Iran’s nuclear programme.

The two countries do not have diplomatic relations, but have had at least one previous interaction in recent years that was accompanied by speculation that Pakistan was moving towards establishing relations with Israel.

In 2005, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries met and the same year, General (retd.) Musharraf shook hands with then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the U.N. General Assembly.

The meeting sparked fierce criticism in Pakistan of Gen. Musharraf and his perceived “pro-American” foreign policy.

According to reports from Jerusalem, Mr. Barak expressed fears that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of Islamist extremists, but Gen. Musharraf is reported to have assured him of their safety.

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