US expects 'some fraud' in Pakistan polls

"On a scale from terrible to great, it'll be somewhere in the middle," said Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said in response to a query on the February 18 polls during a Congressional hearing.

"We don't necessarily accept a certain level of fraud but if history is any guide and reports are any guide, we should expect some," he said, adding that Washington will consider the views of political parties, observers and media to judge whether the vote meets the required standards.

Boucher's comments came close on the heels of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf emphatically ruling out any rigging and pledging to hold free and fair polls in his talks with European leaders during his four-nation tour.

While the US has been aggressively pushing for a "thorough and robust" investigation into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto and will be "very, very closely" watching the ongoing probe, Boucher said it did not find it a fit case for a UN investigation as was ordered into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"We are doing everything we can to try to ensure as fair an election as possible. We're also supporting things on election-day, like fielding observers, strong election observer missions. We're pushing very hard for transparency in counting so that they publish results at the lowest polling station level to make sure numbers don't get added along the way as the totals get made," he said.

"(We) think it's time for everybody to work as hard as they can to try to make this a good election," Boucher said adding that Washington has been pressing for release of political and the need for an independent judiciary.

However, he added that the question of restoring judiciary has taken political overtones and the issue had to be addressed by the new leaders elected through a credible poll process.

When asked whether the US is going to be aggressive in its support for an independent investigation into the slaying of Bhutto, Boucher said "We have been very aggressive in supporting the idea that there needs to be a thorough investigation and a good investigation. The Pakistanis have pledged to do that."

"They have brought in expertise from Scotland Yard, and our understanding is there's good cooperation there between Scotland Yard and the Pakistani investigators. We have not gone further than that," Boucher replied.

"...There is a lot of differences between the other cases, where UN investigations have been done. It's not a cure-all for any situation. I think we look to, first and foremost, local authorities to conduct any investigation. The addition of Scotland Yard, we think, provides an added measure of confidence. And I'll be watching that very, very closely, and see how it turns out. If there are problems, I suppose we'll deal with them at that point," Boucher argued.

The senior State Department official maintained that there is the need for a strong "moderate centre" to emerge from a credible election, that can help form a solid basis for pursuing the fight against extremism and in building of strong democratic institutions, including an independent judiciary in Pakistan.

Boucher was speaking at the National Security and Foreign Affairs panel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

John Tierney, the Congressional panel chairman, said that election observers had concluded that pre-election preparations offered little hope to Pakistanis that their voices will be heard in a free, fair and transparent election.