Elections first, judiciary issue later, says US



By Our Correspondent


WASHINGTON, Jan 29: A senior US official on Tuesday declined to support demands for the restoration of judiciary and a UN-led probe into the murder of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Appearing before a congressional panel, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher made it obvious that the Bush administration still trusts President Pervez Musharraf but stopped short of calling him indispensable.

Mr Boucher faced scores of grilling questions on the US refusal to endorse the demand for the restoration of the previous Supreme Court in Pakistan but avoided getting involved in the controversy.

He reminded members of the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs that judiciary has always been controversial in Pakistan and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif also had a dispute with the Supreme Court.

Mr Boucher said that Pakistan could deal with the dispute involving the judiciary after the elections as it’s important to hold the elections first.

He said he was not in a position to judge if the previous Supreme Court overstepped its jurisdiction while hearing a case against President Musharraf, but he agreed with the assessment that it was wrong to sack the judges over this dispute.He said that the US did not support PPP’s demand for a UN-led probe because the situation in Pakistan was different from Lebanon where Washington encouraged the UN to hold such an investigation.

“A UN probe is not a cure for all situations,” he added.

When lawmakers reminded him that Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has already called Musharraf an “indispensable” US ally in the war on terror, Mr Boucher said the Pakistani leader had done a lot for this war, but he stopped short of calling him indispensable.

Mr Boucher said that America’s fundamental goal in Pakistan remained a successful transition to democracy. “We are doing everything we can to ensure fair and free elections.”

He said that 20,000 domestic observers would monitor the Feb 18 elections and the US Embassy would also send 30 teams to the field. Other US and international groups will also monitor the elections, he added.

Asked to comment on media reports that Washington recently sent two senior CIA officials, including the agency’s chief, to Islamabad to seek greater role for CIA in the tribal areas but Pakistan turned down the request, Mr Boucher said: “Pakistan is a sovereign state and they take their own decisions.” He regretted that Pakistan was not allowing exit polls, but said exit polls were not the only means to ensure fair and free elections.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.