PAKISTAN - Musharraf Keeps Top Military Post.

Predictably (see Parts 7-9 in SBME 1-3), Gen. Musharraf on Oct. 14 went back on a pledge to relinquish his military leadership by end-2004, with the enactment of a law allowing him to remain head of the armed forces beyond December. Ministers in his government said the move, bitterly opposed

Musharraf has narrowly avoided a number of assassination attempts by Islamist groups. Earlier this month he celebrated five years at the helm, having taken power in October 1999.

The opposition boycotted the vote in the National Assembly, shouting "go, Musharraf, go, Musharraf", while its leaders described the move as his second coup. "With this step, the military falls into total disrepute", said Aitzaz Ahsan, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which is headed by Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister who lives in exile. He asked fellow MPs:"How can you have General Musharraf make a promise repeatedly and then go back on his word?"

Imran Khan, the cricketer, who is also a member of the assembly and was previously a supporter of Musharraf, said: "This vote exposes the total facade of democracy in Pakistan. Pakistan's opposition parties will have no choice but to unite against General Musharraf on the streets".

However, senior officials in Islamabad claimed that Musharraf's move was backed by the majority of Pakistan's 140 million people, large numbers of whom have little respect for mainstream democratic parties. Information Minister Shaikh Rashid said: "General Musharraf has given stability to this country".

Another senior official said: "The people have seen 11 years of democracy before General Musharraf's coup. They know that the political leaders represent corruption".

The Oct. 14 step came on the eve of the month-long Islamic fasting period of Ramadan (a holy month which is traditionally a time of relative political calm). It is unlikely to go down well abroad. Officials are confident it will not provoke strong censure in Washington, with the Bush administration treating Musharraf as being crucial to its hunt for senior figures in the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Pakistan was this year readmitted as a full member of the Commonwealth on condition that Musharraf restored full democracy.

Pakistan's opposition leaders are making little secret of their wish to see a victory for John Kerry, the Democratic challenger, in the US presidential elections which are due on Nov. 2. "If Kerry wins, there will be a lot more pressure on Pakistan, including on democracy and on nuclear proliferation", said Enver Baig, a senator with the PPP.