WASHINGTON, Oct 14: The United States on Thursday reminded Gen Pervez Musharraf of his pledge to embrace democracy following concerns over a newly-passed law prolonging his dual role as president and army chief.

"President Musharraf regularly affirms his vision of Pakistan's progress toward democracy," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters. "That's a vision that we share and we'll continue to encourage him to move in that direction," he said when commenting on a bill passed by parliament allowing Musharraf to remain army chief.

A senior state department official said on condition of anonymity that "it would be good" if Musharraf shedded his uniform "but it's not the full indicator of progress toward democracy." -AFP