ISLAMABAD: A defiant President Pervez Musharraf has dismissed US demand for lifting emergency in Pakistan, saying the decree was to ensure that general elections in January were held in an "undisturbed" manner.

The 64-year-old military ruler, who has been under pressure from Washington to restore democracy, said he disagreed with the appeal by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to end the emergency imposed on Nov 3. Making it clear that a decision on lifting emergency would be made on his own terms, he said, "I totally disagree with her (Rice)."

"The emergency is to ensure elections go in an undisturbed manner," Musharraf said in an interview to 'The New York Times'. He said the decree was justified because the apex court had meddled in politics, specifically the validity of his re-election, and because of a serious threat from terrorists. Musharraf's defiance comes within days of US President George W Bush bluntly telling him in a telephonic talk to hold general elections as scheduled and also doff his uniform as "he (Musharraf) cannot be the president and the head of the military at the same time".

Rice had appealed to Musharraf to lift the emergency that led to the suspension of the Constitution, dismissal of Supreme Court judges and arrest of thousands of opposition workers, lawyers and human rights activists.

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