US backs 'smooth' return to democracy in Pakistan

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WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (AFP): The United States wants to see a smooth transition to democracy in Pakistan for the country's long-term stability and to aid the fight against terror, a top State Department official said Thursday.
The comments by Richard Boucher came after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said he would seek re-election on October 6 while still serving as army chief.
Without commenting specifically on Musharraf's announcement, the State Department's assistant secretary for South and Central Asia said an end to military rule would benefit both Pakistani and US interests.
Addressing postgraduate students at Washington's Johns Hopkins University, Boucher said that "long-term stability in Pakistan requires a return to democracy."
Boucher stressed that Pakistan was an indispensable US ally in the "war against terror," and noted that Musharraf now faces a declaration of war from Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Opposition parties in Pakistan immediately vowed to quit parliament over Musharraf's plans to win another five-year term in uniform. He announced this week that he would step down as army chief, but only if he wins the poll.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup and whose popularity has nosedived, must also hope the Supreme Court does not uphold any of the legal challenges that political rivals have filed against his eligibility.
Meanwhile: President Pervez Musharraf appointed a new head of Pakistan's main spy agency on Friday, in
a move seen as setting up the likely succession should Musharraf quit as army chief as promised next month.
Musharraf, a key US-ally, appointed Nadeem Taj as the chief of the Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, which is engaged in the hunt for Al- Qaeda militants as well as providing internal security, a military statement said.
Taj, who served as Musharraf's military secretary after he seized power in a coup in 1999, replaces Ashfaq Kiyani, who is a strong contender for the top army post should Musharraf step down.
The embattled military ruler said this week that he will relinquish his post as head of the powerful army if he wins his virtually assured re-election in a presidential poll due on October 6.