WASHINGTON, Jan 30: US lawmakers have urged the Bush administration to increase pressure on the government in Islamabad to ensure free and fair elections in Pakistan.

“We absolutely have a crucial interest in ensuring that the government in Pakistan has the popular mandate to confront extremism and terrorism within its borders,” said Congressman John Tierney, a Massachusetts Democrat.

A failure to do so, he warned, may cause the United States to face another tragedy like the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001.

Congressman Chris Shays, another member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told a hearing that rigging in the Feb 18 elections could lead to widespread protests and violence in Pakistan.

“What happened in Kenya strikes me as very likely to happen in Pakistan, and I don’t know how we respond to it,” he warned.

Congressman Darrel Issa, a California Republican, urged the Bush administration to ensure that Pakistan soon elects a prime minister through a credible electoral process and with the powers needed to create a system of “check and balance” within the government.

He also complained that Pakistan had denied visas to Republican observers who wanted to monitor the election. Instead, Islamabad has asked them to register with the government, a process which may take longer than the time left to the election.

Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat, told the panel that during a recent visit to Peshawar he learned from opposition parties that the government had already made plans to rig the election.

“They felt that it wasn’t a question of whether there would be election rigging by the administration but how much election rigging would actually go on,” he said.

Mr Lynch noted that because of the restrictions imposed since Nov 3, the media in Pakistan was not free enough to play an effective role in the electoral process.

“One of the restrictions (is) that candidates for parliament are not allowed to criticise (President) Musharraf or the administration” while appearing on the television, he pointed out.

“The threshold question that American citizen would ask is whether until the restoration of the judicial branch, could you have any integrity in future elections that would be subject to the supervision ultimately of that independent judiciary?” asked Congressman Peter Wench, a Vermont Democrat.

He said many in Pakistan believe that “what they vote is totally secondary to what President Musharraf decides.”

Congressman John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat, claimed that “the only way the election will be perceived as legitimate is if Mr Musharraf is rejected.”

This, he said, creates a difficult situation for the US as no matter what it does, it would be blamed for supporting a process which seen as illegitimate by many Pakistanis.

Congressman Todd Platts, a Pennsylvania Republican, was concerned if President Musharraf’s recent refusal to give CIA more space to operate in the tribal areas reflects a deeper change in Pakistans policy towards the war against terror.

Congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, warned that the potential for a flawed election to destabilise Pakistan was a real one. “I’m very concerned about a breakdown and the effect it would have on regional stability,” she said.

Congressman Tierney, who presided the proceedings, observed that the US has sent “a mixed and muddled message” to Pakistan about the importance of a free election and transparent counting of the votes.

“The only question is how tainted will this election be,” he said. “This administration seems content just to boot the ball down the road and deal with the aftermath, and I think that is a disturbing thing.”