WASHINGTON, Aug 13: A senior US senator, Tom Harkin, urged President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday to step down and asked the coalition government to restore all the judges sacked by him.

“President Musharraf should strongly take into consideration the will of the Pakistani people and step down,” said Senator Harkin.

“President Musharraf no longer seems to enjoy the confidence of the Pakistani people that will be necessary to move the country forward.”

His departure, said the senator, will also help re-establish the rule of law, return the judges to their official posts and get the country back to solving the day-to-day challenges of the Pakistani people.

Referring to resolutions adopted by provincial assemblies, Senator Harkin said: “I urge all political parties not to lose sight of the impact on the Pakistani people -- long-standing friends of the Americans -- one thing is for certain: it is time for the violence, bloodshed and fear to cease and the confidence of the Pakistani people to be restored.”

He noted that the judges removed by President Musharraf were yet to be restored, inflation was at an all time high, and clashes occurred frequently in tribal areas between Pakistan forces and Taliban militants.

“These are significant challenges that the leaders of Pakistan must confront in order to ensure the most basic needs for the people of Pakistan,” Senator Harkin said.

“I have great respect, admiration, and affection for the Pakistani people. I have spoken out many times in the US Senate for closer ties between the people of the US and the people of Pakistan. My hope is for a better life for all Pakistani people, under a rule of law, in free, open, democratic society.”Senator Harkin, a 4th term Democratic from Iowa, chairs the powerful Senate Committee on Agriculture, and is also a ranking member of the Senate appropriations committee, which gives him a controlling influence over US assistance to other countries.

In 1996, Senator Harkin co-sponsored the Brown amendment, which led to Pakistan receiving $368 million of US arms. The amendment also undid the infamous Pressler amendment which had blocked US military and economic aid to Pakistan.

Recently, Senator Harkin played a key role in arranging a $115 million as food assistance to help Pakistan deal with the current food crisis.