Military ruler Pervez Musharraf said Sunday that Pakistan will stick to its January schedule for parliamentary elections, but he set no time limit on emergency rule, raising grave doubts about whether the crucial vote can be free and fair.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, speaking two days after she was briefly put under house arrest, said the schedule for elections was "a first positive step," but with an emergency in place, it would be difficult to campaing.
The country's attorney-general also announced that military courts now can try civilians on charges ranging from treason to inciting public unrest.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed Musharraf's pledge to hold elections by January 9 but expressed concern that he had not set a time limit for restoring citizens' rights.
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