ISLAMABAD — A Supreme Court hand-picked by President Musharraf swiftly dismissed legal challenges to his rule today, opening the way for him to serve another five-year term — this time solely as a civilian president.

The opposition has denounced the new court, saying any decisions by a tribunal stripped of independent voices had no credibility. General Musharraf purged the court on November 3 when he declared emergency rule, days before the tribunal was expected to rule on his eligibility to serve as president.

America has put immense pressure on General Musharraf to restore the constitution and free thousands of political opponents jailed under the emergency before Pakistan’s critical parliamentary election on January 8.

Today’s court ruling could hasten General Musharraf’s decision to take off his army uniform. The general has said he would quit as armed forces commander by the end of the month, assuming he was given the legal go-ahead by the court to remain as president.

Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar dismissed three opposition petitions challenging General Musharraf’s victory in a disputed presidential election last month, saying two had been “withdrawn” because opposition lawyers were not present in court.

The third was withdrawn by a lawyer for the party of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who suggested the court was illegitimate.

“We asked for (the case) to be postponed because we said there is no constitution,” she told reporters in Karachi after a meeting with the American ambassador. She said she had no plans to revive power-sharing negotiations with General Musharraf, broken off after the general’s decision to declare emergency rule.

“We are not going back to the former track,” Ms. Bhutto said. “We are interested in a roadmap for democracy, but we do not have the confidence that General Musharraf’s regime could give us that road map.”

One of General Musharraf’s first acts after seizing extraordinary powers was to purge the Supreme Court of independent-minded judges. Opponents had argued that he ought to be disqualified under a constitutional ban on public servants running for elected office, which they said applied because General Musharraf was still army chief.

The military ruler said last week that he expected the retooled court to quickly endorse his re-election, and he was right. Deliberations lasted less then a day on the most serious cases challenging General Musharraf.

The court said it would rule Thursday on another petition from a man whose candidacy for the October 6 presidential election was rejected by the election commission. Only then can it authorize the election commission to announce General Musharraf the winner of the vote.

An official in General Musharraf’s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said today’s ruling kept the general on track to quit the army by the end of November.

With pressure mounting to get the country on a path to democracy, the government today set January 8 as the date for the parliamentary elections.