New Delhi: In an apparent backing for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the US said the decision of holding the dual office of the president and the army chief is up to the Pakistani leader.
This came a day after Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher hinted that Washington gives more importance to Musharraf holding free and fair elections due on November 15, than his re-election in uniform.
Boucher held talks with Musharraf in Rawalpindi, to discuss the "blue-print" for the Presidential polls and the general elections later this year.
Later he also announced an additional aid of $750 million for Pakistan, to develop the volatile tribal areas where large number of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are reportedly holed up.
Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, has said he will ask lawmakers in the fall to award him a new five-year presidential term, and has yet to say whether he will keep his uniform.
Opposition leaders say his plans will breach the constitution and accuse him of trying to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in order to ensure that the Supreme Court rejects legal challenges to his continued rule.
Washington has been steadfast in its public support for Musharraf, making clear that the global fight against al-Qaeda and the war in neighboring Afghanistan take priority.
A presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Musharraf had told his visitors about efforts to seal the Afghan border, where Pakistan says it has deployed 90,000 troops.
(with agency inputs)
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