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London: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf arrived on Friday to argue his case to Britain's large Pakistani community that he is the best man to lead his nation, and vowed to hold free and fair elections as scheduled next month.
He told security and defence experts at the Royal United Services Institute that there is "no way" elections will be delayed despite the recent turmoil in Pakistan.
"You give me a certificate and I will sign it," said the president when asked if the parliamentary elections will go forward on February 18. He denied charges the voting would be rigged. "The elections will be free, fair, transparent and peaceful. Whatever bugs there were in the system have been removed by me and my government."
During his speech, cries of protest could be heard from outside the building, where about 30 demonstrators had gathered.
The president also reiterated his opposition to the prospect of the United States sending ground forces to Pakistan to battle terrorists operating in tribal regions there. He said bringing in US forces would be militarily and politically unsound.
Magic wand
"When you talk about forces coming on the ground in Pakistan, we say, 'No Sir'," Musharraf said. "I don't know why there are people who may think that US forces will have some kind of magic wand and set everything right and go back. They have their hands full in Afghanistan."
Musharraf's London visit is the final stop of his tour of Europe, where he has sought to convince critics that February's elections in Pakistan will be legitimate. But it is in Britain where he finds his most captive audience - the majority of the country's roughly 1.6 million Muslims are of Pakistani descent and their power and opinions can shape political futures. Later, Musharraf met with members of the Pakistani community at a reception.
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