Musharraf to lift state of emergency

AP Photo: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, right, wipes his eye following an emotional speech after he was... Slideshow: Pakistan

By SADAQAT JAN, Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 29, 11:33 AM ET

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pervez Musharraf embarked on a new five-year term as a civilian president Thursday, promising to lift a state of emergency by Dec. 16 and restore the constitution before January elections, a key demand of his domestic opponents and foreign backers.

In a televised speech hours after taking the oath of office, Musharraf also urged former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif — his two rivals for power who recently returned from exile — not to boycott the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections.

He said "a level playing field" has been given to their parties, and they and others should "participate fully."

However, he struck an uncompromising tone when insisting that the elections would go on without them, if necessary. "No one will be allowed to destabilize this democratic process or to create hurdles in its way," he said.

"I am determined to lift the emergency by Dec. 16," Musharraf said as he addressed the nation, seated between a portrait of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and a green-and-white national flag. "The elections, God willing, will be held free and transparent under the constitution." READ MORE