New York: On the eve of Pakistan's Parliamentary polls, Human Rights Watch has described the entire election process as deeply flawed and stacked against Democratic rule.

Pakistanis will head to the polls on October 10 for the first general elections since President Pervez Musharraf's 1999 coup, with opinion polls indicating a tight race between banned ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto's party and a new pro-government group.

"In the three years since the coup, Pakistan has witnessed a consolidation of military power rather than a transition to Democracy," said Brad Adams, executive director in the Asia division of Human Rights Watch.

"Pakistan's international partners cannot ignore this fact any longer. They need to insist on progress toward Democracy in Pakistan," Adams said on October 9.

In a background paper, the New York-based right watchdog accused Pakistan's military government of employing a variety of legal and political tactics to control the process and outcome of the elections.

Meanwhile, the United States has described Pakistan's Parliamentary polls, as an important milestone on the road to Democracy, hours after the election was pilloried by a prominent rights group.

Just before voting opened today in the first general elections since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup, the state department described the polls as a "welcome" development.

"This is an important milestone in Pakistan's ongoing transition to Democracy," said state department spokesman Richard Boucher, in a written answer to a question taken at his daily press briefing.

"We will continue to watch this process closely, and are committed to remaining engaged with Pakistan throughout its transition."