WASHINGTON, Dec 2: Two key US senators on Sunday urged former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to participate in the Jan 8 elections. “I’m hopeful that not only Ms Bhutto but also Mr Sharif will participate,” said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services. “I also hope that there will be free and fair elections. It is essential for Pakistan that that happens,” said the Democratic lawmaker.

Senator Arlen Specter, a ranking Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, urged both politicians and the government to remember that they had a responsibility to nurture democracy in Pakistan.

“I think it is very important that Pakistan maintains its democratic institutions, they are fragile, they’re not longstanding,” he said. “Let’s see what those elections bring and let’s see what Musharraf’s opponents can, including Benazir Bhutto.”

The two senators, interviewed by CNN, welcomed President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to quit the army and his promise to lift the state of emergency.