ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf lifted emergency rule on Saturday in a move Western
nations hope will stabilise the nuclear-armed state as Islamic
militant violence spirals.
 

Musharraf will address the nation on TV and radio on
Saturday night. But critics say curbs on the media and
judiciary mean that he can still manipulate a Jan. 8 general
election win for his allies and secure a power base despite his
unpopularity.
 

"Yes, the emergency has been lifted," said a government
official who declined to be identified.
 

Citing spiraling militant violence, Musharraf imposed the
emergency on Nov. 3, suspended the constitution and purged the
Supreme Court to fend off challenges to his re-election, which
new hand-picked judges have since rubber-stamped.
 

Two soldiers and three civilians were killed near a
Pakistani army camp by a suicide bomber on a bicycle on
Saturday, underscoring a growing number of insurgent attacks
this year in which hundreds of people have been killed.
 

Facing international condemnation, including from his ally
the United States, Musharraf had said he would restore the
constitution.
 

But some lawyers and judges, including Chief Justice
Iftikhar Chaudhry, who were deposed by Musharraf are still
under house arrest. The Pakistani media criticised this week a
ban on live broadcasts as an attempt to control election
coverage.
 

The end of the emergency may not change that.
 

"This emergency was staged to perpetuate one-man rule,"
said Akbar Ali, an employee at a car leasing company in the
main northwestern city of Peshawar.
 

"He has got it done and it's now useless if emergency rule
stays or is removed. There is no guarantee he won't stage this
emergency again if he sees his rule in danger."
 

Election monitors and many politicians fear Musharraf,
despite calls for a fair vote, can rig the polls through a
network of district chiefs, bogus votes and by excluding
opposition supporters from ballot stations.
 

STILL PULLING THE STRINGS?
 

Critics point out that Musharraf, who came to power in a
1999 coup but stepped down as army chief last month, still
lives in his army house.
 

The election is essentially a three-way battle between
parties loyal to Musharraf and the parties of two main
opposition leaders, former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and
Benazir Bhutto.
 

An opposition-run parliament could move to impeach the
general over accusations he acted unconstitutionally in
securing a new term as president.
 

With political rallies banned, parties have been holding
what they call smaller "meetings" to get round the regulations.
The opposition hopes that bigger rallies would be allowed as
the campaign gets into gear after the weekend.
 

The Pakistani constitution provides for prosecution for
suspending the constitution, but critics say Musharraf, like
previous military rulers, could exempt himself from prosecution
while revoking the emergency.
 

"When the emergency is lifted, the devil may be in the
details," said Nasim Zehra, a political analyst.