US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States is encouraging Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf to work more closely with moderates, including former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.Rice, speaking at a US congressional hearing on Wednesday, said the United States hopes "that there will be an effort of all moderates to be prepared for fully democratic elections to take place in the parliament in December, so that Pakistan can take that next step toward a more stable democratic environment."Fears about Pakistan's stability were raised last week when a suicide attack on Bhutto during her homecoming parade in Karachi killed 136 people.Bhutto has returned to contest parliamentary elections due in January after talks with Musharraf on a power-sharing deal. Her two governments between 1988 and 1996 were toppled amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.But with encouragement from Washington, both Bhutto and Musharraf are urging voters to support moderates who are willing to take on religious extremism.
