President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday. It has now been announced at PTV. The emergency decision comes ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win.
The news caster at PTV didn’t give any reasons for emergency but read the following text:
The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order.
Earlier, Pakistan’s private TV channels had suddenly gone off-air amid speculations that emergency was going to be imposed.
An earlier Reuters report which was among the first to break the news read:
Private television channels Geo News and Dawn News both ran reports quoting unnamed sources as saying the government had made its decision. Speculation has been rife that Musharraf, who is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on whether he was eligible to run for re-election last month while still army chief, might impose emergency rule or martial law
This has not been the first time that government thought about imposing emergency. The idea has been flirted with from time to time. Rumors kept appearing from time to time from as early as August 8, 2007. We also had a post on this topic then.
According to CNN:
The Supreme Court has declared the state of emergency illegal, claiming Musharraf had no power to suspend the constitution, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry told CNN.
People were already sensing something was about to happen when Benazir suddenly left the country two days ago without even going to other provinces of the country except Sindh. It may be true that she indeed left Pakistan to be with her ailing mother but it never stops people from speculating. Also the earlier news where Government circles were advising Benazir not to come to Pakistan before Supreme Court decision now seem to put missing links to a continuum.
According to Washington Post news:
The United States had tried to pressure Musharraf on Friday to avoid declaring emergency rule or martial law. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday sent a warning to Musharraf not to take authoritarian measures to hold on to power. “I think it would be quite obvious that the United States would not be supportive of extra-constitutional means,” Rice said. “Pakistan needs to prepare for and hold free and fair elections.” That message was followed by a previously scheduled meeting between Musharraf and Adm. William J. Fallon, chief of the U.S. Central Command.
Complete text of emergency declaration can be read here
This rapid succession of events in Pakistan is as dangerous to world peace as the preemptive destruction of Iraq.
slam dunk
there u go some were asking for it they got it, so live with it i totally agree with MUSH since the SUO MOTO spree the SC was on had to be stopped, & iam just focusing on the fact that SC is solely responsible for letting go of certified TERRORISTs who r going about enforcing SHARIAT or at least trying to, of which no one in this forum wants any part of , & by the way why was there no outrage when thousands of YOUNG KARACHIITES were being massacared in mid 90s but every one seems to be very willing to shed CROC TEARS for these JIHADI THUGS, why such callous hypocrisy?? GO MUSH
@ Hassan….
Its people like you…who make me start to believe that pakistani’s are collectively loosing their minds…
Again with the Lal Masjid…those ghazi brothers were upto their necks in sectarian warfare in Pakistan and were ‘close buddies’ with that cursed Azam Tariq…people who advocated the wholesale genocide of Pakistan’s Shia MUSLIM population…how come I NEVER ever hear you and your ilk condemn them for this…condemn them whenever a suicide bomber kills innocent muslim bystanders….case in point being the pindi blast…in case you didnt notice..the Kaafir bomber took out two women..a mother and a dauther…and sent two little girls and their father to the hospital…
that bomber got up in the morning himself…wore that belt thinking that he was on his path to paradise….his mind polluted by some azam tariq or some ghazi…yet…people like you and the larger pakistani public NEVER condemns this….wether it is the killing of the general public or the beheading of POWs…..disgusting……..
just what is wrong with you people……i find it amazing how you can excuse just about any act of barbarism if the interests of those carrying out this barbarism cooincide with yours…
intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the highest order….
@ Deewana and Zain…
keep on fighting the good fight lads….. :)
I will say General Kyani should have imposed martial law instead of Mush.
The situtaion in Pak is out of control of civil society but in same time Mush have no confidence of public.