Islamabad, Nov.8 : Pakistan's Supreme Court is expected to declare within days that President Pervez Musharraf can legally stay in office for another five years.

According to The Telegraph, if this landmark endorsement emerges, it would clear the way for Musharraf to withdraw the state of emergency.

Allies predict he would then resign as army chief, in accordance with Western demands, and allow elections to be held.

Gen Musharraf imposed emergency rule when the Supreme Court was about to strike down his re-election by the National Assembly last month on the grounds that the Constitution forbids anyone from combining the offices of president and army chief.

Having seized emergency powers, Musharraf immediately sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and purged other independent judges.

He has since packed the Court with new justices. So far nine have been enlisted, eight of whom duly struck down the last decision of the previous bench who had declared Musharraf's order imposing emergency rule to be illegal.

The aim is for the new appointees to give Musharraf's re-election a clean bill of health.

"It will be good for the country as it will lead to a lifting of the emergency and to elections. But it will be opposed by Musharraf's political allies who do not want elections and his political enemies," a senior legal adviser to the regime, said.

Senator Tariq Azim, the deputy information minister, said: "The case is pending before the court and we hope to have the verdict as soon possible."

He said the ruling could emerge before Musharraf's term ends on November 15. He would then resign as army commander - in accordance with his earlier pledge.

The White House yesterday warned Musharraf that America's patience is not "never-ending" and that it expects him to return "soon" to the path of democracy.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the House of Commons that Musharraf "must" allow parliamentary elections to take place in January in accordance with the Constitution.

Musharraf may agree to these demands - having seen his rule formally extended by a carefully packed Supreme Court. (ANI)