by Mark Silva
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who declared a state of emergency Saturday night, said today that parliamentary elections will be held by mid-February.
Critics complain that Musharraf is pushing back a vote that had been planned for January. But the White House, which has been pressing the Pakistani leader to commit to the elections he had long promised, praised the announcement today as a welcome signal.
“We think it is a good thing that President Musharraf has clarified the election date for the Pakistani people,” White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said this morning.
The announcement comes a day after President Bush personally called Musharraf, four days into the crisis there, to register his complaint about the state of affairs in Pakistan — with Bush reporting that he had not only called for elections, but also called upon the president and Pakistani Army general and chief of staff to remove his uniform.
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister who has returned to challenge Musharraf’s government, denounced his pledge as insufficient and said he should step down as army chief within a week. With anger over military rule spreading in Pakistan, the U.S. and domestic opponents are stepping up pressure on Musharraf to end the emergency rule imposed Saturday, shed his uniform and hold elections as planned.
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