A Pakistani Supreme Court selected by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has dismissed multiple legal challenges to the leader's presidential election victory last month.
On Monday, Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar dismissed three opposition petitions challenging Musharraf's win on Oct. 6. Two were "withdrawn" because opposition lawyers were not present, said Dogar.
The third was withdrawn by a lawyer for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto who called the court illegitimate.
Musharraf purged the court on Nov. 3 when he declared emergency rule.
Under emergency rule, Musharraf suspended the constitution and removed the chief justice of the Supreme Court and other judges who were poised to rule on whether he was eligible for the new five-year term since he did not give up his post as army chief before the elections.
Pakistan has a constitutional ban on public servants running for elected office.
In Islamabad, CTV's Paul Workman said it was a "very predictable development... (that) the new Supreme Court would allow president Musharraf to continue on and be re-elected as president of the country while still wearing his uniform."
Musharraf has said he would quit as army chief by the end of this month but only if he was granted the legal victory by the court to remain as president.
Meanwhile, Bhutto told reporters there are no plans on the table for a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.
"We are not going back to the former track," Bhutto said. "We are interested in a roadmap for democracy, but we do not have the confidence that Gen. Musharraf's regime could give us that road map."
Next Thursday, the court will rule on another petition from a man whose candidacy for the presidential election was rejected by the election commission.
Following that, the court can then authorize the election commission to announce Musharraf as the official winner.
The government said Monday that parliamentary elections would be held on Jan. 8.
But the opposition has threatened to boycott the elections and Musharraf has not indicated that he will lift the state of emergency before the vote.
On Saturday, American envoy John Negroponte met with Musharraf and told him to end the state of emergency and free political prisoners.
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Musharraf spoke for more than two hours, an official from the president's office, who requested anonymity, told The Associated Press.
Negroponte's trip was seen as a last ditch attempt at restoring order after authorities arrested thousands of human rights activists, lawyers, and members of the opposition following the declaration of emergency rule.
Musharraf told the U.S.'s No.2 diplomat that emergency rule was necessary for peaceful elections to proceed in the coming new year, the official said.
With files from The Associated Press
