October 10, 2002	Thursday	Sha’aban 3, 1423

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BRUSSELS, Oct 9: Pakistanis going to the polls on Thursday will be watched carefully by an international community anxious to see the country return to stable civilian rule.

Washington has made no secret of its interest in ensuring a restoration of democracy in a country viewed as a vital ally in the global coalition against terror.

But diplomats and officials in Brussels say the elections will also be scrutinized carefully by the 15 European Union governments and the European Commission.

Eager to reward Gen Pervez Musharraf’s decision to join the international drive against terror, the EU has spent the last year upgrading relations with Pakistan, both through reinforced political contacts and by earmarking millions of euros in aid and trade concessions for Islamabad.

The EU’s surge of interest in Pakistan reflects both Europe’s own wider reach into Asia and the Muslim world and Pakistan’s growing strategic importance to an increasingly ambitious EU seeking alliances with moderate Islamic nations.

But the EU governments have kept relations with Pakistan under a constant review.

Over the last year, policymakers have strived to juggle new aid and trade commitments made to Islamabad with skillfully applied diplomatic pressure for a return to democracy.

Europe’s new-found interest in Pakistan is reflected in the deployment of almost 90 long-term and short-term European Union election observers who, along with other international monitoring teams, will be keeping a close watch on the conduct of Thursday’s polls.

Officials in Brussels admit that the EU team in Pakistan led by veteran election monitor and member of European Parliament John Cushnahan faces a challenging task.

Apart from security fears, European Union election observers have to deal with a complicated political situation, made even more complex by the size of the country.