A defiant Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has again justified imposition of emergency in the country, saying he had little choice but to take the "most difficult" decision and pledged to doff his uniform as soon as the Supreme Court decides on his re-election.
Briefing King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia about the circumstances leading to imposition of emergency, Musharraf said the law and order situation, growing terrorism and militancy and the conflict between the judiciary and other pillars of state had "left him with little choice but to take the most difficult decision".
Musharraf, who arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday, on a day-long visit told the King that the caretaker governments had been set up at the federal and the provincial levels in the country to oversee the holding of free and transparent elections, the official APP news agency reported. Saudi Arabia close ally of Islamabad.
He said the Election Commission of Pakistan was preparing to hold the next general election on January 8 for a smooth transition to a complete civilian rule.
Musharraf, who was to arrive in Jeddah later today to perform Umrah, said he would also doff his uniform as soon as the Supreme Court of Pakistan permits the notification of the result of the Presidential election, in which he got 57 per cent votes from the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies.
Earlier the General met Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz and agreed to initiate joint measures to combat extremism and terrorism and vowed to increase bilateral cooperation in all fields.
Musharraf and Prince Sultan discussed various matters of mutual concern, including security issues and the regional situation. It said they agreed to take joint steps to combat extremism and terrorism.
Musharraf said Pakistan valued its relationship with the Saudi Kingdom, adding that their historic ties had further strengthened. The two sides expressed commitment to cementing the multi-faceted brotherly ties between the two countries.
Prince Saud Al Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, and Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, the county's Intelligence Chief, also called on Musharraf at the Conference Palace in Riyadh.
They discussed with Musharraf issues relating to mutual security concerns and the ways to address them. The meeting also took into account the situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq, and the threat of extremism and terrorism.
The Saudi Foreign Minister and the Intelligence Chief also hosted a lunch in the honour of President Musharraf.