Islamabad: US Senator John Kerry, in Pakistan as part of a team to observe parliamentary elections, said today the vote "meets the basic threshold of credibility and legitimacy".

Kerry, a former US presidential candidate, appeared at a press conference with Senators Joseph Biden and Chuck Hagel.

The trio monitored Pakistan's crucial vote held yesterday. Unofficial preliminary results showed President Pervez Musharraf s allies facing a rout. Kerry said that, "even if the election was not meeting the highest standard", it "meets the basic threshold of credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of the Pakistani people" as well as observers.

Opposition figures had alleged massive rigging in the run-up to the polls in favour of Musharraf's allies. But Kerry said that while it was "not a perfect election, not many have been in many parts of the world".

The US senator said that the vote was "truly an historic, decisive moment for Pakistan" and praised people for coming out to cast their ballots despite the threat of violence.

"That unbelieveable commitment to change is a dedication to the democratic process and I think it makes a profound statement to the country, to the region and the world," he said.

Source : PTI