LAHORE, Dec 3: United States Ambassador Anne W. Patterson cast doubts about the sincerity of the government to hold free and fair elections after she was denied access to Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan here on Monday.

Ms Patterson, who had met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, human rights activist Asma Jehangir and former chief minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi earlier in the day, arrived at Mr Ahsan’s residence in Zaman Park at 3:30pm and issued a brief statement to the press before being ushered inside his office for private talks with his wife.

Making at brief statement after emerging from the office half an hour later, she said: “Let me be clear -- we have consistently called for the release of all detainees. He is in custody, he cannot be seen and we have asked the government and urged the government to release him as soon as possible.”

“I think it certainly casts doubts on the capacity to hold free and fair elections. If candidates are under arrest, it makes it very difficult to hold a campaign.”

Te ambassador was trailed to her car by two US human rights activists from Code Pink, chanting “Why is the Bush administration continuing to support Musharraf?” They had spent the previous night on a 24-hour vigil at Mr Ahsan’s residence.

A detention order issued on Sunday night extended Mr Ahsan’s home detention by 30 days. He “poses a grave threat to the public safety and is likely to cause breaches of public peace and order,” it stated.

Commenting on the order, Mrs Ahsan said: “As all of you, Aitzaz is a man of letters and a man of law. That is what we are all fighting for.”

A delegation from of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Lawyers’ Forum earlier went to meet Mrs Ahsan with a bouquet to express solidarity with the detained SCBA chief.