Pakistani court adds a twist to Musharraf’s election bid

islamabad, pakistan -- The Pakistani Supreme Court on Friday threw a last-minute wrench into President Pervez Musharraf’s reelection plans, ruling that the vote could take place today as scheduled but the results would be frozen until the justices decide on his eligibility to run while serving as army chief.

Meanwhile, a political alliance between Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto moved closer to fruition as the president signed into law an amnesty for Bhutto on corruption charges. That paves the way for her return this month to lead her party in parliamentary elections to be held by early next year.

The highly unusual court ruling, the latest twist in months of legal wrangling over whether and how Pakistan should move toward civilian rule, appeared to catch both sides by surprise.

Last week, the high court dismissed challenges to Musharraf’s reelection bid on largely technical grounds. Friday’s ruling, though, opens the door to a fuller examination of whether the Pakistani Constitution prohibits Musharraf, as chief of the army, from running for civilian office.

The Pakistani leader, who took power in a coup in 1999, has promised to step down as head of the military in the next five weeks -- but only if he is reelected to another five-year term as president.

Musharraf’s opponents acknowledge that he has the votes he needs to easily win today’s election. The vote will be held by an electoral college made up of members of the outgoing national and provincial assemblies, which his party dominates. But the ruling by the 10-member judicial panel would put that expected victory on hold.

“We did not achieve all we had hoped for, but now [Musharraf] has this sword hanging over his head,” said Latif Khosa, who represented opposition candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim, an aide to Bhutto, in the court proceedings.

The government sought to put the best possible face on the ruling. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the presidential election would proceed “unhindered” and Musharraf would be declared the victor in due course.

The Supreme Court will not reconvene until Oct. 17, so the election’s outcome probably will be in legal limbo at least until then.

There appeared to be little reaction to the ruling in the streets of Islamabad, the somnolent and neatly laid-out capital. The city has been particularly quiet during the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. Only Friday afternoon prayers, held in congregation, brought crowds into the streets.

Because the president is not elected by popular vote, there has been no formal election campaign, though opposition parties hold almost daily rallies outside the Supreme Court complex objecting to Musharraf’s candidacy. The general mostly has stayed out of sight, avoiding public venues and limiting his appearances to carefully scripted television interviews and speeches.

The battle over the limits of Musharraf’s power has been largely a courtroom drama, unfolding daily in a high-ceilinged, light-filled chamber whose shelves and tables are piled high with yellowing legal tomes.

Friday’s Supreme Court decision means that Musharraf’s status may still be in question when Bhutto makes what her backers hope will be a triumphal homecoming after years of self-imposed exile. She has said she will return on Oct. 18.

Although the relationship between Bhutto and Musharraf has long been marked by distaste and mistrust, both take a pragmatic view of the political situation. The two have been in power-sharing talks for months, recognizing that an alliance would carry substantial benefits for both.

Musharraf, his popularity plummeting, needs the support of a popular politician such as Bhutto to maintain a credible public role.

She, in turn, has sought a shield from corruption charges dating to the 1990s, and also needs the backing of Musharraf’s party for a constitutional change to allow her to serve a third term as prime minister.

Although Musharraf’s opponents welcomed the court’s intercession before today’s vote, there was underlying unease about how the general might respond. In August, as the emboldened high court weighed legal challenges against him, Musharraf considered dissolving parliament and imposing emergency rule -- steps some fear he might weigh again.

The general encountered a buzz saw of public opposition in March when he tried to fire Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. That discontent swiftly coalesced into a nationwide clamor for a return to civilian rule.

The Bush administration has hoped for a power-sharing arrangement between Bhutto and Musharraf, who are both considered Western-friendly moderates. However, the perception of American meddling in domestic political affairs has embittered many Pakistanis.

After Friday’s court ruling, some of those headed for prayers at a downtown mosque shouted a familiar anti-Musharraf slogan: “America has a pet dog, one in a uniform!”

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laura.king@latimes.com