Musharraf vows free elections, but asks for patience

BRUSSELS: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf pledged on Monday that next month's elections will be free and fair and that he will honour the result whoever wins, as he launched a key four-nation European tour.
    
Musharraf, whose country is in a deep political crisis exacerbated by the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, urged the West to allow Pakistan more time to work toward democracy.
    
"We must have fair and transparent elections," on February 18, he said in Brussels. "Whoever wins, obviously power will be handed over to them."
    
"We are going to be returning to free, fair and transparent elections, and peaceful elections," he said, despite the slow progress made on the polls.
   
"We are for democracy and I have introduced the essence of democracy, but we cannot be as forward looking as you (in the West) are," he said, non-governmental organisations and business leaders at a breakfast event.
    
"Allow us some time to reach that state," he said.
    
Musharraf acknowledged tensions in Pakistan which could prompt those who lose the elections to cry foul, but he underlined: "Whatever bugs we have had in the system have been removed".
    
He also said that the media, which he conceded had been restricted during a six-week state of emergency introduced in November, was free to cover the polls, which had originally been set for January 8.
    
"I did curb the media when we imposed a state of emergency," he said, adding that now "there is no limit on their freedom".