DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) — President Pervez Musharraf warned Thursday against judging Pakistan by "misconceived" standards of Western democracy, as he dismissed concerns of possible fraud in crucial elections next month.
Speaking to the annual gathering of the world's political and business elite in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, Musharraf also vowed to crack down on any attempt to disrupt the February 18 polls, which were rescheduled after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
"Obviously, the elections must be fair, free and transparent, and I've added a new word -- 'peaceful'," Musharraf said. "We will make sure they are peaceful."
Davos was the latest leg of Musharraf's European tour aimed at improving his battered image overseas after months of turmoil at home that was exacerbated by Bhutto's murder on December 27.
At each stop on his trip, Musharraf has sought to talk up the transparency of the coming elections, and in Davos he reacted angrily to suggestions that their credibility had been undermined by his sacking in November of Pakistan's chief justice and other members of the Supreme Court bench.
The court, now packed with Musharraf loyalists, would be the final arbiter in the event of any legal challenge to the election result on grounds of fraud.
Musharraf insisted the judges had been sacked for "corruption and nepotism" and said the independence of their replacements was not in question.
"We are a victim of misconception and distortion," Musharraf said.
"I have upheld the constitution and laws of Pakistan. Please, look at Pakistan from Pakistan eyes... not with the eyes of your misconceived Western views of human rights and democracy," he added.
Appearing alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a session titled "The Quest for Peace and Stability," Musharraf also promised to fight the "scourge" of terrorism in the region.
"We must carry on the fight against extremism and terrorism, which is a scourge, which is disturbing our environment. It will have an impact even on the streets of Europe," he said.
Musharraf's attendance shifted the focus in Davos after the first day of the forum had been dominated by talks of a looming US recession and its possible impact on the global economy.
Musharraf held talks here on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- marking the highest-level US contact with the president since Bhutto's assassination.
During their meeting, Rice stressed that the Pakistan elections had to be seen to be "free and fair" and carry the "confidence" of the Pakistani people.
Earlier Thursday, climate campaigner and former US vice president Al Gore warned Davos delegates that the global climate crisis was "significantly worse" than previously thought and unfolding more rapidly than even pessimists had predicted.
"This is a planetary emergency. There has never been anything remotely like it in the entire history of human civilisation. We are putting at risk all of human civilisation," Gore said, citing new forecasts that the North Pole ice cap may disappear entirely during summer months in as little as five years.
Gore backed a proposal for a tax on carbon emissions that would be applied across the whole world, "so that those who don't pay the price for carbon don't have an advantage over those who do."
"I think it is really important from a climate change point of view to move away from the idea that personal actions from each of us represents the solution to this crisis.
"These are important ... but in addition to changing the light bulbs it is important to change the laws," Gore said.
Gore shared the stage here with Africa activist and U2 rock group frontman Bono -- a Davos regular -- in an effort to combine the fights against climate change and poverty.
"The brunt of this climate crisis is going to be felt in the developing world. All your work... will be undone if you don't focus on this," Bono said.
This year's Davos forum has drawn 27 heads of state or government, 113 cabinet ministers and several hundred corporate titans to the snow-covered and sunny Swiss Alps.
Some 1,000 of the world's largest businesses pay 42,500 Swiss francs (26,300 euros, 38,700 dollars) apiece for annual membership to the Davos club -- not counting the extra 11,000 euros per person to attend the meeting.
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