United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is expected to visit Islamabad soon for talks with the government on the current political crisis.

Negroponte is expected to meet President Pervez Musharraf [Images] with a message from Washington, outlining various proposals for ending the crisis. These include lifting the emergency as soon as possible, ending curbs on the media and the civil society imposed after emergency and releasing all political leaders and activists arrested during the last 10 days.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that the emergency could discredit the parliamentary elections Musharraf has pledged to hold before January 9. ''It's very hard to see how you could have free and fair elections with a state of emergency in place,'' she said.

"We've been emphasising not just the holding of free and fair elections, but the lifting of the state of emergency as well,'' added Rice.

Musharraf had proclaimed emergency in Pakistan on November 3 and removed judges, arrested lawyers, put curbs on independent media and ostracised opposition party workers.

This has aroused worldwide condemnation of the military ruler whom the United States considers its closest ally in its war against terror.