Pakistan court rams through rulings for Musharraf

Supporters of the Jamat-e-Islami opposition party shout slogans against President President Pervez Musharraf during a protest against emergency rule in Karachi November 18, 2007. Pakistan's Supreme Court, packed with government-friendly judges since the imposition of emergency rule, dismissed on Monday the main challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election last month.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court, packed with government-friendly judges since President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule, dismissed on Monday the main challenges to his re-election last month.

Once the court clears Musharraf's October 6 victory, he has vowed to quit as army chief and become a civilian president, although he remains under fire from the opposition and Western allies for setting back democracy in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Musharraf was due to visit Saudi Arabia this week, the Foreign Ministry said, after the News daily said it had "credible reports" he would meet exiled opposition leader Nawaz Sharif there, fuelling speculation the general might be seeking a deal.

But Sharif later said he would not meet Musharraf, who deposed him eight years ago and sent him into exile.

In Islamabad, a 10-judge bench rejected five main challenges to Musharraf's right to contest the October 6 election while still army chief. It rules on the sixth and final petition on Thursday.

"The notification of the president's election cannot be issued because a petition is still pending. Hopefully, it will be done after that," Attorney-General Malik Qayyum told Reuters.

Musharraf's main aim in taking emergency powers was to purge the Supreme Court of men he feared would annul his re-election.

The Karachi stock market's main index rebounded more than 350 points following the court's action to end Monday 1.2 percent higher. It is still nearly 5 percent below pre-emergency levels, but 32 percent up since the start of the year.

During Monday's proceedings, judges warned lawyers they faced contempt charges and cancellation of their licenses if they persisted in challenging the legality of Musharraf's new bench.

On Sunday, Musharraf said he was asking the Election Commission to call a parliamentary election on January 8.

But he gave no date for lifting the emergency, despite hearing from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Saturday that the election's credibility would suffer unless the emergency imposed on November 3 was rolled back.

DISPARAGING

Negroponte, who left Pakistan on Sunday, was careful not to undermine General Musharraf, a crucial U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban. But he stuck to Washington's position that thousands of people detained in the last two weeks should be released and curbs on the media should be lifted.

Pakistani newspapers were disparaging of Negroponte's failure to back words with some kind of threat unless Musharraf complied.

"To see the U.S. stick it out on the wrong side of the fence will not win the latter any approval with the people of Pakistan," the Dawn newspaper said.

Negroponte said reconciliation was "very desirable" between moderate political forces, apparently referring to the breakdown of an understanding between Musharraf and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto for possible post-election power sharing.

U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson met Bhutto in Karachi on Monday "to confirm American interest in free, fair and transparent elections".

Patterson later visited the office of Geo television network, one of the private broadcasters shut down under the emergency.

"Such extreme and unreasonable measures are clearly not in Pakistan's best interest," she told staff.

Bhutto said she had yet to decide whether to take part in polls she doubted would be fair. She ruled out further negotiations with Musharraf because of a lack of trust.

The other main opposition party, led by Sharif, is also considering boycotting the elections.

"If the United States gives him $10 billion and does not get him to do what it wants, how is it going to expect us to make him do what he does not want to do," Bhutto said.

FRONTIER FRAYING

Most U.S. aid that Pakistan has received since joining the war on terrorism in 2001 has gone to its military. The New York Times reported on Sunday nearly $100 million had been earmarked to help Musharraf keep his nuclear arsenal secure in a country threatened by rampant militancy.

Musharraf said emergency rule would remain in place for longer to reinforce the fight against Islamist militants threatening Pakistan's stability and ensure security for polls.

Detained cricketer-turn-politician Imran Khan went on hunger strike on Monday to protest over Musharraf's dismissal of judges, a spokesman said.

Meantime, the army was expected to launch an offensive against militants in the Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province where hundreds of people have been killed in clashes in the past few weeks.

About 80 people were killed in sectarian violence over the weekend in Parachinar, the main town in the Kurram tribal agency bordering Afghanistan, as the security situation in the frontier region deteriorated.

(Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; editing by Roger Crabb)