PAKISTAN: President Pervez Musharraf leaves for Saudi Arabia, amid speculation that he will meet opponent Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (November 20) leaving a trail of speculation that he was on a mission to end his political isolation at home by reaching out to former prime minister and political enemy, Nawaz Sharif. Sharif, deposed by Musharraf eight years ago in a coup, is living in exile in Saudi Arabia. He told Reuters from the western Saudi city of Jeddah on Monday he would not meet Musharraf unless the emergency was rolled back. Many Pakistanis regarded that as a smokescreen for some some kind of communication, if not a face-to-face meeting. Analysts believe Musharraf has begun retracing some of his steps since the emergency sparked international outrage and isolation at home and argues that re-engaging former foes made sense. However, others say the last thing Musharraf would want is Nawaz Sharif coming back in the highly charged environment in the country. Sharif tried to return to Pakistan in September only to be put on a flight back to exile in Saudi Arabia. He told Reuters there had been several approaches from Musharraf's camp for a meeting in Saudia Arabia in the past 2 months, but he had rebuffed them all. Prospects for an alliance between Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto fell apart, to Washington's chagrin, in the wake of the imposition of the emergency, but a deal could still be revived. Musharraf has been under pressure from the opposition, the United States and other Western governments to revoke the state of emergency he announced on November 3 and ensure elections in January are held under free and fair conditions. Musharraf, who is also army chief, imposed emergency rule saying it would reinforce the fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants and ensure free and fair elections. Western governments fear that stifling democracy any longer could play into the hands of Islamist militants who are already a dangerous influence in nuclear-armed Pakistan. But they have also stopped well short of threatening any measures that could destabilise a moderate Muslim leader who has been crucial to fighting al Qaeda. On Tuesday (November 20) the Pakistan election commission announced that parliamentary polls will be held on January 8, the date chosen by Musharraf, but the unpopular military leader has been warned the election will lack credibility if the emergency remains in place. Chief election commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Farooq said in a televised address on state-run television that polling for the national and provincial assemblies will be held the same day and will be transparent from all aspects. "Holding of transparent elections in Pakistan in a conducive atmosphere has gained international importance, and the eyes of the entire world are upon us. In this context, it is our duty to hold fair and free elections. And if we do not fulfil this duty then we will be answerable not only to the nation, but also to Allah," Farooq said. Opposition parties have called for emergency rule to be lifted and have warned they might boycott the vote. But Farooq called upon all parties to take part in the elections and promised he would do his level best to ensure they were fair and free. "I want to give an assurance that insha Allah (God willing) elections will be held in a totally peaceful atmosphere, in an honest, impartial, fair and transparent manner and according to the law. I pray to Allah to help us in this so that we can perform our duties to the best of our abilities and to the satisfaction of the entire nation," he said. Naveed Akmal, a resident of Karachi, considered a deal with Sharif a distinct possibility. "It is quite possible that Musharraf bargains a deal with him (Nawaz Sharif) because he was leaving for Saudi Arabia. May be they go for a deal," said Akmal. But Mohammad Saleem, another resident of Karachi, doubted that Musharraf would come to an arrangement with Sharif. "The president has left for Saudi Arabia. Maybe he is there to bargain a deal with Nawaz Sharif. But I don't think there is going to be any deal. And Nawaz Sharif should not make a deal with Musharraf," he said. On Monday, the Supreme Court, packed with government friendly judges, struck down five challenges to Musharraf's re-election last month, and the last one will be heard on Thursday. Once the court clears the way, Musharraf has promised to step down as army chief and be sworn in as a civilian president. Musharraf is widely believed to have declared the emergency in order to purge the court of judges who might have annulled the re-election -- and a key demand of Sharif is for the restoration of the judiciary.

ITN Source | November 20, 2007

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