Dec. 20 (Bloomberg) -- President Pervez Musharraf's six- week emergency rule has made free and fair elections in Pakistan next month ``impossible,'' Human Rights Watch said.

There is no chance of a genuine campaign ``when the media remains muzzled, leaders of civil society remain under arrest and the legitimate judiciary of the country has been deposed,'' Ali Dayan of the New York-based group said in a report yesterday.

Musharraf, who revoked the emergency decree on Dec. 15, told the Pakistani Americans Public Affairs Committee in Islamabad yesterday that he will ensure the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections are free, adding that ``there is no room for fraud,'' the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Musharraf imposed the state of emergency on Nov. 3 and fired Supreme Court judges as they were about to rule on the legality of his October re-election as president. Security forces arrested thousands of opposition party members. A new panel of justices, all appointed by the president, rejected the legal challenges to his re-election on Nov. 22.

``Given the well-documented history of election-rigging by the Pakistani military, the emergence of an independent judiciary provided the best hope for a free and fair election,'' said Dayan, the group's South Asia researcher. ``A military backed ruler who dispensed with the constitution in order to get rid of such a judiciary is unlikely to preside over an electoral exercise that could bring his political opponents to power.''

Musharraf said yesterday the intelligence agencies won't be used to manipulate the election, APP reported.

Media Curbs

Musharraf imposed media curbs in the emergency decree that barred outlets from reporting anything that defames or ``brings into ridicule'' the head of state. Violations are punishable by prison terms of as long as three years and fines of as much as 10 million rupees ($254,000).

Channels are also banned from providing live coverage of political rallies and had to sign a government code of conduct last month before they were allowed back on air.

All but three people arrested under the emergency decree have been released and curbs on the print media have been scrapped, Information Minister Nisar A. Memon told reporters in Islamabad on Dec. 17, APP reported.

Opposition leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have said their parties are contesting the elections under protest to ensure the field isn't left open to the pro-Musharraf party. Sharif has said elections won't be fair until judges are reinstated and curbs on the media are lifted.

Once the elections are over Pakistan's main challenges will be the economy and ``the fight against terrorism,'' Musharraf said yesterday, according to APP.

Fighting between Pakistan's army and Islamic militants escalated in the country's northwest after Musharraf ordered security forces to storm Islamabad's Red Mosque in July, ending a challenge to the government by clerics seeking to impose Islamic law in the city. At least 600 people have been killed in 28 suicide bombings since July, according to the army.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 19, 2007 19:14 EST