Musharraf invites foreign observers to monitor polls

Hours after lifting 42-day-old Emergency, the Pak President said, "I would like to invite any number of observers to see the fairness."

Hours after lifting 42-day-old Emergency, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday night said general elections will be held on January 8 as scheduled and invited foreign observers to monitor the polls to assess their fairness.

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Addressing the nation, Musharraf, who doffed his uniform last month, justified imposition of Emergency as a "necessary" step to prevent destabilisation of the country and insisted that the desired results had been achieved.

"The elections will be held on January 8," Musharraf said with a promise that these will be "free, fair and transparent" with everyone welcome to participate as per the Election Commission rules.

"I would like to invite any number of observers to see the fairness," he said in a televised address aimed at the domestic audience as well as the international community.