Lift emergency and hold elections

Emergency rule has a nasty habit of making a bad situation worse. By stopping political dialogue dead in its tracks, as it does, opportunities for political parties vanish.

Whatever the reasons for declaring an emergency, are the troops really best deployed assaulting besuited lawyers? Precious resources are needed to counter terror activities of militants, not beating up lawyers.

What then is the way out? President General Pervez Musharraf could make use of the already established timetable. Parliamentary elections are due by January and it is vital they are held and are seen to be open. The Pakistani people want these elections to take place, as does Washington. In Islamabad there was confusion about the timing of the elections.

Attorney General Maleek Qayuum and president of Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, said they would take place by mid-January as scheduled. But Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz refused to commit to a date, saying only that polls would take place "as early as possible", leaving open the possibility of a delay of up to a year. This confusion must be cleared up immediately.

There are signs that the White House was far from impressed with Musharraf's actions. President George W. Bush said he had asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to phone Musharraf - rather than making the call himself - to convey his disappointment at the declaration of emergency rule.

Of course any condemnation by the US is tempered by its strategic planning. Rice hinted that the room for leverage was limited.

"We have a significant counterterrorism effort in Pakistan and so we have to review this whole situation," she said.

There is no doubt that Pakistan was facing problems, but declaring emergency rule is never going to solve them. January elections offer the best route to resolving an ever-growing crisis.