WASHINGTON, Sept 18: The Bush administration on Tuesday refused to take any position on whether President Pervez Musharraf should quit the military before or after his re-election, although in previous statements senior US officials repeatedly reminded the general that he had pledged to settle the uniform dispute before the elections.

Earlier on Tuesday, a senior lawyer for President Musharraf told the Supreme Court in Islamabad that he plans to quit his post as army chief if he wins forthcoming presidential elections. At a White House briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino refused to get involved in the dispute over Gen Musharraf’s uniform. “As regards to the Pakistani supreme court looking into this matter of the uniform, that is an internal Pakistani matter that we’ll let them debate,” she said.

“What we would like to see is free and fair elections in Pakistan,” she added. The State Department also expressed similar views, adding that the United States “wants to see Pakistan succeed as a modern democratic country.” Washington backs “a transparent election process that respects the Constitution, gives Pakistani citizens choices and respects their decisions,” a State Department official told Dawn.

Asked to comment on Sharifuddin Pirzada’s statement that “if elected for a second term as president, Gen Musharraf shall relinquish charge of the office of chief of army staff soon after elections and before taking the oath of president for the second term,” the State Department official said: “We refer you to the government of Pakistan.” The US media, while reporting Mr Pirzada’s statement, noted that so far Gen Musharraf has strongly resisted moves to make him quit the military — which is the main source of his power and whose loyalty in the fight against Al Qaeda militants has kept Washington on his side.

The media also noted that the PPP has dismissed the plan as undemocratic and unconstitutional, but did not say if it would affect a proposed power-sharing deal between Benazir Bhutto and Gen Musharraf.