The ruling handed down by Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan said the coup was justified on grounds of necessity, but said General Musharraf had three years from the date of the coup to hold elections.

"The chief executive shall appoint a date, not later than 90 days before the expiry of the three year period for holding general elections to the federal and provincial assemblies and the senate of Pakistan," the 12-member bench said in a unanimous judgment.

But Hinna Jilani, secretary-general of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, said the decision indicated how far the independence of the judiciary was in doubt.

In a BBC interview she said the ruling reinforced the view that the judiciary was failing Pakistan's constitution.

General Musharraf has so far refused to give a timetable for restoring democracy- although he may draw some comfort from the fact that the court did validate the army's decision to mount a coup.

The Pakistan Muslim League of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif had pleaded with the court to declare the takeover illegal, and restore the constitution and parliament as well as the ousted government.

Timetable

Members of the former government are nevertheless likely to be relieved that for the first time, a major state institution has given a specific timetable for restoring democracy.

Nawaz Sharif's former law minister, Khalid Anwar, argued that the three years should be treated as an outside time limit and that elections should be held straight away.