Musharraf imposes emergency rule

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7076670.stm

Musharraf imposes emergency rule

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has declared emergency rule and suspended the country's constitution.

Troops have been deployed inside state-run TV and radio stations, while independent channels have gone off air.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who condemned the moves, has been replaced and is being confined to the Supreme Court with 10 other judges.

It comes as the court was due to rule on the legality of Gen Musharraf's re-election victory in October.

The court was to decide whether Gen Musharraf was eligible to run for election last month while remaining army chief.

The BBC's Barbara Plett reports from Islamabad that fears have been growing in the government that the Supreme Court ruling could go against Gen Musharraf.

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 in response.

Her return from self-imposed exile last month came about with the co-operation of Gen Musharraf.

Our correspondent says that in the changed circumstances she will have to decide whether she is returning to lead the opposition against the president, or should wait on the sidelines in the hopes of securing an agreement with him.

'Grave threat'

Pakistan's cabinet is currently meeting to approve Gen Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule. He is expected to address the nation later.

Pakistan has been engulfed in political upheaval in recent months, and the security forces have suffered a series of blows from pro-Taleban militants opposed to Gen Musharraf's support for the US-led "war on terror".

The text of the declaration of emergency says that Gen Musharraf has invoked emergency rule because of mounting militant attacks and interference by members of the judiciary.

It opens with a reference to the "grave threat" posed by the "visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings".

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.

New chief justice

She says that it is clear from reading the emergency proclamation the main target is the judiciary which is accused of interfering in government policy and weakening the struggle against terrorism.

Chief Justice 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 now 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.

BBC correspondents say international reaction to Gen Musharraf's move will depend on what he says in an address he is expected to make to the nation shortly.

The key issue will be whether parliamentary elections are to be held - if not he can expect huge street demonstrations by his opponents.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking to CNN, has described the declaration of emergency rule as "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".

Parliamentary elections are due in January - it is not clear whether they will go ahead.

guess again--it's now clear they will NOT go ahead!

When I examined the quotes-reactions though, Musharraf may actually have achieved something only one other President (Ayub Khan, in 1969) did--total unity of the nation (albeit only one wing this time) asking for his head on a charger!

Edited November 3, 2007 by CherryXS

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

very interesting. keep us updated. I enjoy your opinion on such matters.

[doodlebug 3]

Can Pakastani's nukes reach the US?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Can Pakastani's nukes reach the US?

nope

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Can Pakastani's nukes reach the US?

Most of Pakistan's missiles (and cent-percent of its warheads) are copies of PRC or DPRK designs--some even have been BOUGHT from PRC directly, and passed-off.

Entire Pak nuclear-weapons program was aimed against India (driven by the blind anti-India hatred of toxic-mohajir*** A.Q. Khan, and the similar such hatred of Pakistan military's pre-1971 cadres including Zia, Beg and Musharraf--the latter two also mohajirs), so reaching US never in picture.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

An update of sorts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7079402.stm

Pakistan 'to keep elections date'

Pakistan's prime minister says national elections will be held as scheduled, despite President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule.

Elections are planned for mid-January, but there were fears they might be abandoned because of the crisis.

Police have broken up street protests and hundreds of lawyers and opposition activists have been arrested.

The US said it was "deeply disturbed" by events and urged Gen Musharraf to return to civilian rule.

The president said he had declared the emergency to stop Pakistan "committing suicide", because the country was in a crisis caused by militant violence and an unruly judiciary.

Critics, however, believe Gen Musharraf was acting to pre-empt a judgment by the Supreme Court on whether his re-election last month was legal.

Election timetable

The government had suggested parliamentary polls could be delayed by up to a year.

• Constitutional safeguards on life and liberty curtailed
• Police get wide powers of arrest
• Suspects can be denied access to lawyers
• Freedom of movement restricted
• Private TV stations taken off air
• New rules curtail media coverage of suicide bombings or militant activity
• Chief justice replaced, others made to swear oath of loyalty
• Supreme Court banned from rescinding emergency order

But Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that: "The next general elections will be held according to the schedule."

Attorney-General Malik Abdul Qayyum was more specific.

"It has been decided there will be no delay in the election and by 15 November these assemblies will be dissolved and the election will be held within the next 60 days," he told Reuters news agency.

Pakistan had come under heavy international pressure after Gen Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Saturday.

"We believe that the best path for Pakistan is to quickly return to a constitutional path and then to hold elections," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during a visit to the Middle East.

She urged Gen Musharraf to fulfil his pledge to step down as head of the army and return the country to civilian rule.

One Pakistani minister said the state of emergency had left that promise "in limbo".

'Further steps'

The US has suspended defence co-operation talks with Pakistan set for this week and says it will review its multi-billion dollar aid programme.

The UK, another major donor, says it is examining whether the emergency will affect its aid to Pakistan.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the announcement that elections would go ahead was welcome, but it must be accompanied by civilian rule and political freedoms.

The Netherlands became the first country to suspend aid, and the EU said its members were considering "possible further steps".

In Lahore on Monday an estimated 2,000 lawyers congregated to stage a rally protesting at the dismissal of top judges and restrictions on the judiciary, but several were reported wounded when police waded in with tear gas and baton charges.

Lawyers chanting anti-Musharraf slogans at a demonstration in Karachi were dragged off into police vans, says the BBC's M Ilyas Khan.

Demonstrations were also broken up in Rawalpindi.

House arrest

Lawyers' associations across the country said they were calling three days of protests and boycotts of courts.

Media reports, citing police and interior ministry sources, said some 1,500 people had been arrested in the past 48 hours, while many top judges were effectively under house arrest.

The Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami was among the groups targeted.

Its leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, was under arrest, as were hundreds of members, the party said.

Information Minister Tariq Azim called those figures an exaggeration.

He told the BBC that it was up to protesters to remain calm, or deal with the consequences.

"If people take the law into their [own] hands, obviously, they have to be dealt with," he told the World Today.

Pakistani TV news channels, which have huge audiences, are being prevented from broadcasting within the country, and at least one newspaper press was raided by police.

Translation: "as the elections are scheduled in January 2008, we have quite enough time to ensure that only our toadies can run--so they will all be elected".

Easy to see that Musharraf has not learned from Pakistan's history:

• As I stated earlier, hardening of martial law (and arrest of all who opposed, or even criticised, him) by Ayub Khan united all Pakistan (at that time, two very discordant wings separated "as crow-flies" by about 1,650 km of India at closest points) to demand Ayub's head on a charger--and forced his resignation and replacement with Yahya Khan
• Yahya unfortunately was a drunkard, who did a similar action (blocking legal elections) to what Musharraf is doing now--causing civil war, and then "inviting" an all-too-willing third-party (India) to settle it, resulting in separation away of East Pakistan as Bangladesh
• Zia also prevented elections during his time, leading to many protests--and, as claimed by Ghulam Jatoi (but greeted with incredulity by Banglas), worse atrocities against its own citizens than even "Operation Searchlight"

The only hope for Pakistan right now is the possibility of Ashfaq Kayani (1952 Jhelum-born Punjabi) overthrowing Musharraf before January; as he is post-Partition-born, there is a remote possibility of his being open-minded on India au Maulana Bhashani (whose basic premise was "we now have Pakistan--let's build it, and fuggedaboud India"***).

***I just couldn't resist throwing the "Sharktales" word in there.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7079445.stm

Short quote this time:

...So far in Pakistan's history, the coups have been staged by army chiefs only against civilian leaders.

So a counter-coup from within the army would be unprecedented.

In the past, the army chiefs have moved against civilian governments on the basis of perceived threats to national integrity that may or may not have been real.

But for a coup to be directed against a ruler who is also the army chief, the threat would have to be a real one.

...

Actually, this is not true:

• Ayub Khan deposed Iskander Mirza in a 1958 coup--and Mirza was then CinC of armed forces (in which he had actually served)
• some consider Yahya Khan's 1969 takeover from Ayub as a coup (which would, admittedly, have been an astonishing achievement for Yahya given his later-demonstrated stupidity)
• plus, the effective 1988 coup of Aslam Beg (albeit, he didn't serve as president only "power-behind-throne") against Zia bins that last quoted sentence

[almaty 19]

i am with my brother rich..thanks for the information brother sriniv...i appreciate your knowledge...

[JODO 2]

Pervez is full of it.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Pervez is not an Islamic radicalist. Him staying in power is, in effect, avoidance of the worst possible outcome. Nothing wrong with that.

There is nothing sillier than aiming for the best possible outcome in a manner that opens one up to the worst. Sometimes you just have to manage the downside.

Go pervez.

[JODO 2]

If he is going after the Islamist threat, why is he arresting and detaining the secular opposition, lawyers and judges and today released over 200 Taliban wackos?Sure he may very well be a bulwark against radical wackos, but he is no defender of democracy and the US needs to drop that pretense.

Goooo rule of law.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

If he is going after the Islamist threat, why is he arresting and detaining the secular opposition, lawyers and judges and today released over 200 Taliban wackos?Sure he may very well be a bulwark against radical wackos, but he is no defender of democracy and the US needs to drop that pretense.

Goooo rule of law.

*sigh*

You're being naive, JODO. The rule of law is nothing more than an empty slogan in Pakistan.

[JODO 2]

If he is going after the Islamist threat, why is he arresting and detaining the secular opposition, lawyers and judges and today released over 200 Taliban wackos?Sure he may very well be a bulwark against radical wackos, but he is no defender of democracy and the US needs to drop that pretense.

Goooo rule of law.

*sigh*

You're being naive, JODO. The rule of law is nothing more than an empty slogan in Pakistan.

Am I naive to think even those Pakistanis are capable of democracy? Or is there something inherently inferior about Pakistanis that you are trying to make me aware of.

Sigh.... I guess some people think other people are not worthy of democracy.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Am I naive to think even those Pakistanis are capable of democracy? Or is there something inherently inferior about Pakistanis that you are trying to make me aware of.

Sigh.... I guess some people think other people are not worthy of democracy.

LMAO

[JODO 2]

Am I naive to think even those Pakistanis are capable of democracy? Or is there something inherently inferior about Pakistanis that you are trying to make me aware of.

Sigh.... I guess some people think other people are not worthy of democracy.

LMAO

Me too