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Court dismisses Musharraf challenges

Pervez Musharraf - Court to rule on re-election
Pervez Musharraf - Court to rule on re-election

Pakistan's Supreme Court has dismissed five major challenges to President Musharraf's re-election, leaving one to be heard later in the week.

Earlier the court met to consider the legality of President Musharraf's bid for office.

The court's ruling on his October re-election is viewed as crucial, because the military ruler has vowed to quit as army chief and become a civilian president if the verdict goes in his favour.

Mr Musharraf has recommended that elections be called for 8 January, but he did not say whether emergency rule would be lifted beforehand.

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has said she is trying to form a united front against Mr Musharraf and is considering a boycott.

Yesterday, US Envoy John Negroponte, called on Mr Musharraf to lift the state of emergency.

The Supreme Court has been purged since the state of emergency was imposed on 3 November with the former chief justice, a long time critic of Mr Musharraf,  refusing to take a new oath.

Opposition leaders say Mr Musharraf declared the emergency because he feared the court was about to rule against his re-election.