Crisis Group 'meddling' in democratic process

Islamabad: The government slammed a Brussels-based think-tank on Friday for meddling "in the country's democratic process" after it issued a report saying President Pervez Musharraf should quit for the sake of stability.

The International Crisis Group report, titled "After Bhutto's Murder: a Way Forward for Pakistan", was "patently biased and reflects a complete lack of understanding" of ground realities in Pakistan, a government spokesman said in a statement.

He said elements of the report suggesting Musharraf should be persuaded to quit were tantamount to propagating "seditious views against the laws of the country" and advised media in the country to handle such material with care.

The Crisis Group has been critical of US support for Musharraf in the past and has been influential with some members of the US Congress.

President George W. Bush said he backed Musharraf on Thursday because he had proved a strong ally in fighting terrorism, and had fulfilled his pledge to step down as army chief late last year and to hold an election.

The election has been delayed until February 18 from January 8 in the wake of violence following the assassination of opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27.