Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that a vote could go ahead on Saturday, but a winner cannot be declared until it rules if he was eligible to stand, keeping the fate of President Pervez Musharraf's re-election bid in its hands.
US ally General Musharraf is sure to win the vote in parliament and the country's four provincial assemblies. But the court's decision to keep open a possibility of disqualification could weaken his position and deepen a sense of mounting uncertainty in nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Delivering the ruling that the election could go ahead, judge Javed Iqbal said the court wanted more time to consider the merits of last-gasp opposition challenges to Musharraf running while still army chief.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 17. Musharraf's current term of office is due to end on November 15.
Hamid Khan, a lawyer for Wajihuddin Ahmed, a retired judge running against Musharraf, said, "We had more expectations. Nonetheless it is a partial relief for us. Today's order is the first step toward our victory,"
After frantic negotiations with self-exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf appeared on the brink of an accord with a potential ally who could boost his position after a general election due by mid-January.
Former prime minister Bhutto plans to end more than eight years of self-exile on October 18, and lead her Pakistan People's Party in the election.
