Pakistan: three-way scrap

President Pervez Musharraf will lift emergency rule and restore the suspended constitution on Wednesday, a day earlier than originally planned.

That leaves just three weeks for political parties to scrap for votes before a January 8 election. The retired general defended the emergency as necessary to maintain Pakistan's stability and fight Islamic extremism, although critics saw it a tool for his own political survival.

The lifting of emergency rule brings former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif into play: they are currently campaigning across Pakistan after backing down on previous threats to boycott the elections.

Since Bhutto and Sharif failed to arrange a boycott pact to take on Musharraf, the election is now a three-way fight between a blizzard of acronyms: Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML (N)), Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) (PML (Q)), which backs President Pervez Musharraf.

The participation of the PPP and PML (N) is a boost for Musharraf insofar as it adds credibility to the election. Nevertheless, both opposition parties are likely to cry foul if the polls go against them. Musharraf has already dismissed concerns from Sharif and Bhutto that the elections will be rigged, saying such comments are a preparation for defeat. The outlook remains for continued political uncertainty following next month's election, whatever the outcome.