United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the end of emergency in Pakistan will be an essential move and "a free and fair election" will be an absolutely essential step.

"Ending the state of emergency is an essential step. Holding a free and fair election is an absolutely essential step," Rice said referring to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's [Images] pledge to lift the state of emergency.

"We really want to see that happen. They (people of Pakistan) do have pretty well-organised parties. So if they're given a chance, I think we could have an election which could be a real step forward for Pakistan in terms of its own democratic development," Rice said.

"We have made very clear that the decisions taken over the last month-and-a-half or so were from our point of view not good. But we've been very focused on getting -- helping or encouraging Pakistan to get back on a path that's going to lead to further democratic development," she said, adding that taking off the uniform (by Musharraf) is a good step.

"And if they do those things, it's not going to be a perfect situation but it will be much further along the road of democracy than it's been in quite a long time. Because we have to remember how long it has been since Pakistan has had elections and it is also the case that the civil society is more vibrant, the media is more vibrant, and if it's allowed to function then it could make real strides," she added.