Islamabad, Nov 19: The Musharraf regime has rejected US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte’s demand to lift the state of emergency in Pakistan.

“This is nothing new,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said, referring to Negroponte’s blunt warning that President General Pervez Musharraf must end emergency rule as soon as possible.

“The US has been saying this for many days. He has said that same thing. He has reiterated it,” the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.

Negroponte, who was on a short visit to Pakistan, said that for fair and independent elections to be held in the country, it was necessary to lift emergency and remove restrictions on media, and stop actions against political leaders.

Before leaving for the US, Negroponte also said that moderation was "the best way forward" for the nuclear-armed Islamic state, a close US ally in the "war on terror", whose political crisis has rattled nerves in Washington.

Musharraf had time and again said that he would revoke emergency only if the law and order situation improves, and has also made it clear several times that he is in no mood to do it before the general elections scheduled by January 9 next year.