Washington, Nov 7 : The Washington Policy Analysis Group, a think tank made up of Pakistani professionals, has urged the international community to use its influence to force President Pervez Musharraf to withdraw the emergency and step down.

The think-tank, which has been in existence for over 15 years and includes US-based Pakistani journalists, in a statement issued here urged the Musharraf regime to respect the judiciary and immediately restore all judges who were forced to quit office through a Provisional Constitutional Order PCO).

"By destroying the country’s first independent judiciary, the Musharraf regime has initiated a process that could lead to the disintegration of Pakistan," the statement warned.

The move will further alienate the four provinces of Pakistan and force many to reconsider their allegiance to the state of Pakistan, the think-tank said.

By reversing the democratic process in Pakistan, Musharraf has created a situation that will only benefit extremist forces, it said.

The think-tank urged the Bush Administration to stop supporting the Musharraf regime in favour of forces that wish Pakistan to become the people’s democracy its founding fathers dreamt of.

"By supporting military regimes and autocratic rulers in the Islamic world, the Bush Administration has further alienated the Muslim masses, thus hurting the war against terrorism that it professes to fight," the statement said.

It urged the US administration and Congress to immediately halt all assistance to the Pakistani military and divert those funds to programmes that confer direct benefits on the people of Pakistan.

"Weapons given to the Pakistani military are used only against the people striving to retrieve their basic rights from an oppressive regime," the statement said.

The think-tank said the only occasion when the people of Pakistan expressed open admiration for US assistance was when Washington promptly and generously reached out to the victims of the October 2005 earthquake.

The group urged the US Administration to assist programmes aimed at providing basic facilities to the people of Pakistan, the Daily Times reported.

"By helping Pakistan’s military rulers, Washington is further delaying the restoration of democracy in Pakistan and creating an impression that the US is only interested in achieving its vested interests and not in helping the people," the statement said. (ANI)