Islamic militants stage attack on Pakistani fort

Islamic attacked a fort near the Afghan border for the second time this month yesterday, killing five Pakistani soldiers and highlighting what analysts say is rising extremist control in the rugged region.

The attackers suffered "heavy causalities" in the pre-dawn attack on Lahda Fort in South Waziristan, while seven soldiers also were wounded, the military said in a brief statement.

The violence in the border region, as well as a string of suicide attacks that have killed hundreds in recent months, is triggering uncertainty in the country ahead of Feb. 18 elections that many predict will weaken Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's grip on power.

More 100 rebels and troops are reported to have been killed in the region this month alone.

On Jan. 10, insurgents also attacked Lahda Fort. The military said then that between 40 and 50 of the attackers were killed.

Last week, the militants overran a second fort in the region, leaving up to 22 soldiers dead or missing in a major embarrassment for the military.

The attack came after Pakistan's most popular private television network went back on the air after signing a government code of conduct that critics say is muzzling independent media.

All stations banned by Musharraf during his state of emergency in November are now broadcasting again, but concerns remain that the former general has whittled away at press freedoms as the country gears up for the polls.

Musharraf, who was meeting with senior EU and NATO officials in Belgium on Monday, pledged that the Feb. 18 elections would be "fair, transparent and peaceful." But he also cited what he called the West's "obsession" with democracy, and pleaded for more time to achieve higher standards of human rights and civil liberties in Pakistan.

"You have taken centuries to reach where you have come. Allow us time for going for the value that you have reached for yourself," Musharraf said at the start of an eight-day European tour.

The media code of conduct bans live coverage of demonstrations and programs that "defame or ridicule" the head of state. It also says anchors and talk show hosts must not express opinions that threaten Pakistan's sovereignty and security.

Musharraf's said Geo TV was allowed to resume operations on Monday after agreeing to those guidelines.

Geo's said only that the government's lifting of the ban was "a wise and wonderful move."

"As elections are coming up, more media coverage would make the elections more credible and contribute to the positive development of the country," Geo president Imran Aslam said.

Immediately emergency rule was imposed, Geo was banned along with all private news networks, which had been reporting freely on growing challenges to Musharraf's US-backed rule.

Over the ensuing 10 weeks, the government permitted the other stations to return to the air as they signed the code of conduct, but Geo initially refused to go along.

Media Mehdi Hasan said Geo finally gave in because it was being crippled financially by the ban.

"The jobs of hundreds of people were threatened," Hasan said.