Musharraf Rejects U.S. Pressure to Lift Emergency Rule

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 18 -- President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday rebuffed pressure from a senior U.S. envoy to revoke emergency rule under the country's current security situation, envoys said.

In a tense two-hour meeting, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte delivered a "very strong message" urging Musharraf to end the state of emergency, step down as head of the military and release of thousands of political prisoners.

"Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections," Negroponte said at a news conference Sunday morning, referring to parliamentary elections set for early January. "The people of Pakistan deserve an opportunity to choose their leaders free from the restrictions that exist under a state of emergency."

A diplomat characterized the meeting as "short of tough love, but still tough."

"It was made clear that if things don't change, aid money could be cut, and it was very serious and on the table," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "There is a limit."

Negroponte also met with Pakistan's deputy army commander, Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, a pro-Western leader expected to take over as military chief in the coming weeks if Musharraf steps down as head of the army and starts a second term as a civilian president. The two met three times, including for dinner Saturday night.

Negroponte's meeting with Kiyani was a sign that the United States was looking to court other possible leaders who could keep the country stable and be a partner in its fight against terrorism, analysts said.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, now a chief rival to Musharraf, spoke to Negroponte by telephone hours after she was released from house arrest. She reportedly told him she could no longer work with Musharraf and was focusing on building an opposition that could pressure him to step down.

"In current circumstances, engagement and dialogue -- not brinkmanship and confrontation -- should be the order of the day for all parties," Negroponte said in urging Musharraf and Bhutto to end their bickering.

A key ally in U.S. counterterrorism efforts, Musharraf has said he declared emergency rule Nov. 3 to give him a freer hand in battling militant groups in the country's northwest, where Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters operate.

However, Western diplomats and Musharraf's aides have said privately that his main objective was to prevent the Supreme Court from ruling his Oct. 6 reelection invalid.

Musharraf said in an interview Friday that he would tell the United States that he was the only leader capable of "protecting and safeguarding Pakistan."