US envoy carries warning to Pakistan

By STEPHEN GRAHAM, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A senior U.S. envoy carried a stern warning Friday to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf from the Bush administration to end emergency rule and phoned one of the military leader's chief critics to underscore Washington's support for free elections.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, in Islamabad, spoke with Benazir Bhutto in what is believed to be the highest-level U.S. contact with the Pakistani opposition leader since the state of emergency was imposed Nov. 3, a senior State Department official said.

The call came hours after Bhutto and other opposition leaders were freed from house arrest and the government permitted two independent news channels back on air — moves seen as an attempt to blunt criticism from Musharraf's key foreign backer.

The State Department official would not give details of the call but said Negroponte had generally underscored Washington's opposition to Musharraf's extra-constitutional actions and its desire to see Bhutto and other opposition figures free to peacefully participate in Paakistan's political sphere.

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The official spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal a private diplomatic contact. READ MORE

Please, "pray the news" . . . pray for a willingness to have peaceful negotiations, equitable resolutions, a mutually agreed upon plan to move toward stability, and the resolve to finish the process in the best possible way for Pakistan and it's people.