Musharraf’s Europe tour begins amid poll promises, protests

Ruling out the possibility of rigging in upcoming general elections...

Ruling out the possibility of rigging in upcoming general elections, President Pervez Musharraf on Monday appealed to the West to have patience with Pakistan, which was its “reliable ally”.

“We are determined to hold free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections… There is no possibility of it being rigged,” Musharraf told reporters in Brussels, as the beleaguered leader faced angry protests here from supporters of Pakistani opposition parties demanding his ouster.

“We are for democracy and I have introduced the essence of democracy, but we cannot be as forward looking as you are,” the Pakistani leader said. “Allow us some time to reach that state.”

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Musharraf, now on the first leg of his four-nation European tour, is in the Belgian capital to hold meetings with officials of the European Union and NATO.

Earlier, addressing the Pakistani community in Brussels, Musharraf said “fool-proof arrangements” had been made to put the country on the path to “true democracy”.

The Pakistani leader said it was important for the West to understand that it has a reliable ally in Pakistan. However, Musharraf’s first morning in the European Union’s capital was marked by a protest demonstration by about 100 supporters of Pakistani opposition parties on the steps of the Brussels Stock Exchange in the city centre.

Musharraf, who is keen to have an image makeover following his transformation as a civilian ruler, is holding talks with the EU’s High Representative on Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana.

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Musharraf rejected allegations levelled against the ISI agency, saying that it was playing a “very effective and positive counter-terrorism role in cooperation with the international community”.