Pak SC dismisses 5 cases against Musharraf

In a dramatic development, Pakistan's Supreme Court today dismissed all but one of the six petitions challenging President Pervez Musharraf's re-election in uniform, and said it would decide the matter on Thursday.

Musharraf's second term as President hinges on the outcome of the case, which was originally being heard by a 11-member bench of the apex court before the military ruler imposed emergency on November 3 and sacked most judges of the Supreme Court.

A 10-judge full court headed by new Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, all of whom were sworn in under the Provisional Constitutional Order issued by Musharraf, is currently hearing the matter.

Among the five petitions dismissed today were those filed by retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed and Pakistan People's Party leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim who had unsuccessfully contested the October 6 Presidential poll.
(Reporting by Rezaul H Laskar)

Updated at 1330 hrs: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said general elections in the country under emergency rule will be held on January 8 and the army will not be deployed during the polls as in the past.

"Inshallah, the general election in the country would be held on January 8," the militray ruler said at a farewell dinner for outgoing members of Sindh Assmebly here last evening, a day after US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte delivered a "strong" message to him.

Musharraf said he would make a recommendation to this effect to the Election Commission which will met this week.

Earlier, Musharraf said unlike in the past, the army would not be called out during the polls and the situation would be handled by police and civil authorities.

"My concern is to have free, fair and transparent elections, with better law and order," he said in an interview aired on state-run PTV.

Speaking at another function in Karachi, Musharraf also stepped up his attack on opposition parties that have threatened to boycott the general election, saying they were fleeing from polls as they had realised they could not win.

Though Musharraf did not name anyone, his criticism was apparently aimed at former premier Benazir Bhutto, whose Pakistan People's Party has said it could boycott elections if they were held under the emergency imposed by the military ruler on November 3.

"They have resorted to agitational politics and (are) threatening to boycott the elections just to run away from the elections. But we will go into the elections and I think that (they) all will participate in the forthcoming elections," he said.