Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan's opposition refused to attend a meeting called by the Election Commission today to discuss a code of conduct for parliamentary polls that the U.S. says won't be fair under emergency rule.

``The entire opposition will boycott the meeting and this should be a message to the Election Commission,'' Fareed Piracha, a spokesman for the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of religious parties, said in a phone interview. ``The Election Commission has to decide whether it wants to play its constitutional role or work as an agent of Musharraf.''

President Pervez Musharraf rebuffed pressure from Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to restore the constitution and free political prisoners, saying emergency rule is necessary to stop the nuclear-armed nation descending into chaos. The army chief proposed holding elections on Jan. 8 amid a ban on rallies and the arrest of thousands of lawyers and political workers.

A new Supreme Court panel of 10 judges appointed by Musharraf rejected most challenges to his re-election as president today, leaving one petition to be heard from tomorrow. Musharraf replaced his chief justice on Nov. 3 and dissolved an earlier bench of judges just before they were to rule on the legality of his second five-year term.

State of Emergency

More than two weeks into the state of emergency, Musharraf has detained thousands of opposition supporters, curbed non-state media and banned public rallies. Opposition parties say more than 15,000 supporters have been arrested.

Musharraf proposed to the Election Commission that national elections be held on Jan. 8, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported today.

The agency may announce the date for general elections in the next few days, spokesman Gul Akbar said on the phone today.

The Election Commission, which is responsible for overseeing polls, invited political parties to attend a meeting in Islamabad to discuss a proposed code of conduct, said a statement on the agency's web site.

``The Election Commission has not been constituted according to the Pakistani constitution and is not independent,'' opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a phone interview. ``The commission has not been able to stop General Musharraf from addressing public rallies.''

Boycott Polls

Opposition parties have said they may boycott polls if Musharraf doesn't step down as president. The All-Parties Democratic Movement, which includes exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party and the alliance of religious groups, met in the capital to develop a strategy to topple Musharraf, Piracha said.

``We decided not to attend the Election Commission meeting because we do not want to legitimize a fraudulent election process,'' Ahsan Iqbal, Sharif's spokesman said in a phone interview. ``In the absence of a constitution, there cannot be free and fair elections.''

Bhutto was detained at a residence in the eastern city of Lahore on Nov. 13 to prevent her from leading protest rallies. The former prime minister was freed from house arrest on Nov. 16 and returned to Karachi, the capital of her political stronghold in Sindh province, on Nov. 17.

U.S. Ambassador

U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson met Bhutto at her Karachi residence today, Dawn News television reported. Bhutto conveyed her concerns about emergency rule, media curbs and the suspension of judges to Patterson, Dawn said.

``I am here to assure her and all others that we will do everything possible to ensure that the election takes place,'' Patterson told reporters after meeting Bhutto, Agence France- Presse reported. ``The United States is interested in the reconciliation of all the moderate political elements.''

Emergency rule ``is not compatible'' with free and fair elections, Negroponte said at a news conference in Islamabad yesterday. He told Musharraf a day earlier to restore the constitution before the polls.

Sharif remains in exile in Saudi Arabia. Musharraf is scheduled to travel to Riyadh tomorrow to meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz Al-Saud, The Nation reported today.

Pakistani authorities arrested Sharif at Islamabad International Airport on Sept. 10 and deported him back to Saudi Arabia after he tried to return from exile to lead a campaign against Musharraf. Sharif has been Pakistan's prime minister twice between 1990 and 1999.

Hunger Strike

Imran Khan, Pakistan's former cricket captain who leads an opposition party, is in jail under anti-terrorism laws. He went on a hunger strike today inside jail in Dera Ghazi Khan, a town in southern Punjab province, to protest against emergency rule, party spokesman Ahmed Awais said.

Musharraf has said he will step down as army chief and take the presidential oath as a civilian after the Supreme Court rules on his re-election.

Pakistan will invite international observers to monitor the election, Musharraf said, according to APP.

Musharraf last imposed emergency rule when he seized power in a 1999 coup, lifting it three years later to allow elections.

European Union observers ``cast serious doubt'' over the independence of the election commission at the time and said parties didn't have sufficient time to campaign because a ban on rallies wasn't lifted until 40 days before the vote.

To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Qayum in Islamabad at kqayum@bloomberg.netJay Shankar in Bangalore at jshankar1@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: November 19, 2007 07:45 EST