Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has defended his decision to declare emergency rule, saying he could not allow the country to commit suicide.
In a televised address he said Pakistan had reached a crisis brought about by militant violence and a judiciary which had paralysed the government.
The chief justice has been replaced and the Supreme Court surrounded by troops.
The moves came as the Supreme Court was due to rule on the legality of Gen Musharraf’s October election victory.
The court was to decide whether Gen Musharraf was eligible to run for re-election last month while remaining army chief.
The BBC’s Barbara Plett reports from Islamabad that fears had been growing in the government that the Supreme Court ruling could go against Gen Musharraf.
It is not clear whether the parliamentary elections due in January will go ahead. Gen Musharraf made no mention of them in his speech, but he insisted he wanted to restore democracy.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned to the country after years of self-exile to lead her party in planned parliamentary elections, was in Dubai on a personal visit when news of the declaration broke.
However, she immediately flew back to Karachi where she condemned Gen Musharraf’s decision, saying emergency rule had been imposed so elections could be avoided.
“We the political parties are calling for the restoration of the constitution, and for the holding of the elections under an independent election commission,” she told the BBC.
She said the international community should use its influence with Gen Musharraf to “press him on the restoration of the constitution, the reinstatement of the judges and the release of the political prisoners”.
Another politician, former cricketer Imran Khan, said he had been placed under house arrest.
He blamed the increasing extremism in Pakistan on Gen Musharraf, saying: “When you stop all legal and constitutional ways of people challenging [the president], then the only ones who challenge him are people with a gun”.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the declaration of emergency rule was “highly regrettable” and called upon Pakistan to have free and fair elections.
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband also expressed concern, saying it was vital Pakistan’s government “abides by the commitment to hold free and fair elections on schedule”.
Gen Musharraf’s address echoed the text of the declaration of emergency rule, which opens with a reference to the “grave threat” posed by the “visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks”.
It ends by saying that the constitution is in “abeyance” – which, according to our correspondent, in effect means that martial law has been imposed, although there is not a heavy security presence on the streets.
The political and judicial core of Islamabad has been shut down, but the rest of the city is functioning normally, our correspondent says.
Shortly after emergency rule was declared, all private news channels were taken off the air and tough restrictions have been imposed on the media.
Statements that defame Gen Musharraf, the military or the government are prohibited and statements or pictures from Islamist militants are banned from broadcast or publication.
Our correspondent says it is clear from reading the emergency proclamation that the main target is the judiciary which is accused of interfering in government policy and weakening the struggle against terrorism.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and eight other judges refused to endorse the emergency order, declaring it unconstitutional, resulting in Mr Chaudhry’s dismissal.
A new chief justice has been appointed, officials say. He is Supreme Court judge Abdul Hameed Dogar, a supporter of Gen Musharraf who was a member of the special tribunal appointed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mr Chaudhry.
Ms Bhutto’s return from self-imposed exile last month came about with the co-operation of Gen Musharraf.
- BBC (Nov.3, 2007)
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