'US pressing Pak to hold free polls'

ISLAMABAD: The US is pressing the Pakistani leadership to hold "free, fair and transparent" elections that "meets international standards," said a top American diplomat for South Asia, who discussed the preparations for the polls due at the end of the year with the country's Chief Election Commissioner. Discreetly silent on the controversy over President Pervez Musharraf's plan to get himself re-elected while holding the post of the Army chief, visiting US Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher said US was "adamant" that the general elections should be "free and fair," but wanted the crisis sparked off by the suspension of chief justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry to be left to the court to resolve it."The elections should be free, fair and transparent. They should meet international standards," said Boucher, who met Pakistani ruling and Opposition politicians and assured them that the US was pressing President Pervez Musharraf to hold free and fair elections in the country.Without directly commenting on the Opposition parties' demand that Musharraf should quit as Army Chief, Boucher said that the President had made some commitments on the issues of fair polls, uniform and war on terrorism and the US believed that he would fulfill them.He said the US wanted to have friendship with the people of Pakistan and not with just an individual. On the crisis sparked off by Chaudhry's suspension, Boucher said US expected the judicial process in Pakistan to resolve the issue. He said that the judicial process had to be respected. While assuring them about the US commitment for free and fair polls, Boucher, during a reception on Wednesday also briefed them about his talks with Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner Qadir Muhammad Farooq.Apparently referring to complaints that names of 20 million voters were missing from the voters lists, US Assistant Secretary Boucher said he had told Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner Farooq that he would examine the fresh voters' list during his current visit. Boucher said the US believed that a free and vibrant media was a prerequisite for free and fair elections in Pakistan.On the state of media freedom in Pakistan, Boucher said he believed that the media enjoyed freedom in Pakistan as "lots of lively debates are taking place" and ordinance empowering officials to seal the premises of channels and seize equipment had been withdrawn. However, he said, any moves to curb media freedom had to be addressed. Interestingly, the opposition parliamentarians whom he met included Atezaz Ahesan, who was the lead counsel of Chaudhry. Ahesan is one of the senior leaders of Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) led by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.After holding talks with a PPP delegation, Boucher dismissed claims that his visit was aimed at mediating between Bhutto and Musharraf. Boucher said that his visit was aimed at regular consultations between the two countries.Boucher's visit is taking place in the backdrop of US lawmakers restoring USD 50 million military aid to Pakistan.Overall, Pakistan would receive $300 million in military grants next year, the same amount as the current year. The US package for Pakistan for 2008 amounts to USD 752.1 million. Of that, USD 300 million is in the Foreign Military Financing programme.Boucher met the ruling and opposition parliamentarians separately. Senior Vice President of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, who demanded that the General quit his uniform, said he told Boucher that Musharraf should convene an all parties conference and invite the exiled leaders Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain as well as all the tribal chiefs of Balochistan "for a grand reconciliation on all issues.""The APC should be convened for a grand reconciliation on all issue, including president's uniform, free, fair and transparent elections, removal of two-term bar on prime ministers and the appointment of the independent chief election commissioner," he was quoted in the media here as saying.Earlier, the American diplomat met Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and informed him of the efforts made by Washington to support various initiatives to strengthen relations with Islamabad, a Foreign Office statement said.Boucher and Kasuri discussed Pakistan-US relations, including a development plan for the tribal areas and capacity building programme for the Frontier Corps, and the situation in Afghanistan.Boucher is on his third visit to Pakistan this year. This is part of the regular consultations that both sides hold periodically.