Washington, Dec 29: President Pervez Musharraf should be restrained from reimposing emergency, which would again set him at odds with Pakistan's media and civil society, the Washington Post has said.

The Post quoted Musharraf’s advisers as saying that he will call off the January 8 elections, which he scheduled only under pressure from the Bush Administration.

The paper also criticised Nawaz Sharif for saying that he would boycott the vote and called on Musharraf to resign -- in what looked like an irresponsible attempt to take advantage of the outburst of anti-government feeling sparked by Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

At this juncture the most urgent step Musharraf should take is to nab the culprits behind Bhutto’s murder and order a full and credible investigation.

In the absence of such a clear accounting, conspiracy theories blaming Musharraf or the military for Bhutto's death will probably proliferate, to the further benefit of the Islamists, the Post claimed.

At the same time, the Bush Administration should follow up aggressively on the President George Bush's suggestion that Pakistan "honour Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life."

Elections -- held on January 8 or soon afterward -- and a restored democracy remain the best way for the centrist majority in Pakistan to rally against the forces of extremism that yesterday realized a great, though despicable, victory, the Paper said. (ANI)