Pakistan's Musharraf declares state of emergency
Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on
Saturday amid mounting political upheaval and a wave of Islamist violence,
a presidential aide said. ADVERTISEMENT No official reason was given, but
the declaration came as Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, awaited
a Supreme Court decision that could have overturned his victory in an October
6 presidential election. The move throws general elections that are due in
January into jeopardy. The vote, the first in five years, was seen as a key
step in moving nuclear-armed Pakistan towards full civilian democracy. "The
chief of army staff (Musharraf) has proclaimed a state of emergency in the
country and issued a provisional constitutional order," the aide said on condition
of anonymity. Musharraf was due to address the nation later, the aide added.
A senior government official said that under the order judges of the superior
court can be asked to take a fresh oath to Musharraf. Musharraf, a key US
ally in the "war on terror," has been at loggerheads with the Supreme Court
for months and ministers had hinted that a state of emergency could be imposed
if it ruled against his election win. Pakistan's government held a special
cabinet meeting earlier Saturday to approve the declaration of an emergency,
a senior government official said. Pakistan's private television channels
suddenly went off the air earlier Saturday amid reports that a such a step
was likely. A senior official at Dawn television, which broadcasts in English,
said transmission had been shut down. "Our channel has been taken off the
air and it seems it is related to reports of emergency rule being imposed
in the country," Dawn director of news Azhar Abbas told AFP. The Supreme Court
has ruled that the official result of the October presidential election, in
which Musharraf won another five-year term, cannot be declared until it rules
whether the vote was legal. Musharraf is also confronting a wave of Islamic
militancy that has claimed the lives of more than 400 civilians and security
personnel since government troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July.
Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who returned to Pakistan on October
18 and then flew to Dubai on Thursday, said earlier this week that she had
heard speculation that Musharraf could declare a state of emergency. Bhutto
said on Wednesday she had decided to postpone her visit "due to rumours of
the possible imposition of an emergency in view of the pending cases before
the Supreme Court about General Musharraf's elections." Musharraf had pledged
to step down as army chief by November 15 if he won the election, but has
not said what he would do if the court overturns his victory. The court said
this week it would not be cowed by ministerial hints of emergency action.
The emergency will also likely shatter a proposed power-sharing deal between
Bhutto and Musharraf, which has been pushed by the United States and Britain
ahead of general elections. Washington and London have been quietly pushing
a scenario which would see Musharraf as a civilian president and Bhutto serving
a third time as premier.
by Rana Jawad and Danny Kemp
