Pakistan court ruling a setback for Musharraf

updated 7:16 p.m. ET Oct. 5, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan can go ahead with its presidential election, but the winner can’t be declared — at least not for a while, the country’s Supreme Court said Friday.

It said the results of Saturday’s ballot could not become official until it decided if Pervez Musharraf was eligible to stand for re-election while retaining his dual post as chief of the army.

The surprise decision cast Pakistan into political confusion by leaving open the possibility that the high court could still derail the U.S.-allied Musharraf’s bid for a new five-year term even if, as expected, he easily won the voting by national and provincial lawmakers.

That brought new doubts about his future and his pledges to end eight years of military rule, restore democracy and redouble efforts to fight surging Islamic militancy. And it rekindled speculation that Musharraf might resort to martial law to hold on to the presidency.

“Pakistan will be in a state of political limbo for quite some time,” analyst Talat Masood said.

Power-sharing negotiations continue
Musharraf, meanwhile, pressed on with his effort to negotiate a power-sharing deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He signed an amnesty to quash corruption charges against her.

The general, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has said he wants to stay on as president to continue policies that have turned around Pakistan’s economy despite the nation's position on the front line of the American-led war against terrorist groups.

But a botched attempt to fire the country’s chief justice in March rebounded badly, eroding his authority and popularity and setting up the Supreme Court as the biggest obstacle to his continued rule.

Musharraf’s opponents in the election contested his eligibility to be a presidential candidate while simultaneously retaining the post of army chief, claiming that was unconstitutional. They asked the Supreme Court to delay the vote while the issues are argued.

Presiding Justice Javed Iqbal announced Friday that the election could go ahead Saturday. But he said the official results could not be announced until after the court rules on the challenges.

Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said the ruling would not prevent the announcement of unofficial results after the vote.

Official: We will accept ruling
Iqbal said hearings would resume on Oct. 17, meaning that even if Musharraf received the most votes, as widely expected, he would have to wait at least 11 days before knowing whether he retained the presidency. His current presidential term expires Nov. 15.

Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim said the government “always accepted and respected court rulings, and we also accept today’s ruling.”

Still, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said government lawmakers were determined to re-elect Musharraf on Saturday and forecast that the election process would “proceed unhindered.”

A lawyer for retired justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, Musharraf’s chief presidential rival and one of those who filed a petition with the Supreme Court, acknowledged that the triumph was partial.

“We have achieved 60 percent victory,” Hamid Khan told The Associated Press outside the courtroom. “We are very hopeful that we will be successful in the Supreme Court.”

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