Many assumed that Musharraf would follow the lead of his military predecessors, who on several occasions announced elections and a return to democracy, only to postpone the vote when it drew near. But Musharraf surprised the Pakistani political establishment and held the election, in which the Pakistan Muslim League (the Quaid Group), his political base, was trounced by Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim Group (the Nawaz Group).
但这一策略并未奏效，律师们又重新造势。于是，穆沙拉夫撤回了紧急法令，恢复了宪法。但是几天之后，贝布托在拉瓦尔品第对大规模选民的演讲中被暗杀了。事后，穆沙拉夫把原定于2007年12月举行的大选延迟至20085年2月。