ISLAMABAD, 21 June — Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday had himself sworn in as president of Pakistan and immediately dissolved the Senate, national and provincial assemblies and sacked the chairman of the Senate and speaker of the National Assembly. The legislative bodies were suspended when Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup on Oct. 12, 1999.
Gen. Musharraf, who would also continue to hold the offices of the chief executive, chief of the army staff and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, however, repeated his promise to hold parliamentary elections as mandated by the Supreme Court next year.
“As far as the political process is concerned, there is no change whatsoever,” said Musharraf, dressed in civilian clothes. “Let there be no doubt...the Supreme Court decision of holding elections by October 2002, we will abide by that.”
The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Irshad Hassan Khan, administered the oath of office less than five hours after state media announced the figurehead president, Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, had been removed.
“I, in all sincerity, think I have a role to play and I have a job to do here...so I will not let this nation down,” Musharraf told officials and diplomats invited to the presidential palace for the ceremony. “I have been thinking about this change for a number of months. It’s one of the most difficult decisions I have taken; it was the most difficult decision because it involved myself.”
Government sources said Tarar was deposed as he was reluctant to resign. The outgoing president was informed of the military government’s decision late Tuesday night. He was told he would have to tender his resignation. Tarar responded by saying he would think it over.
Early yesterday morning, he was told that Gen. Musharraf would be sworn in later in the day and that he should resign before that time. Tarar did not respond to any of these verbal requests by military officials.
The presidency gave Musharraf a formal constitutional status ahead of his talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Some Pakistani politicians had questioned his authority to make any agreements with India.
India said it was recognizing Musharraf’s new status. An Indian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said India’s acting high commissioner (ambassador) in Islamabad had attended the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace. “General Musharraf will be visiting India as the president when he arrives on July 14,” said Nirupama Rao, spokeswoman for India’s External Affairs (Foreign) Ministry. She said Musharraf would be given “treatment accorded to a head of state” when he visits India next month.
Pakistan’s main political alliance opposing military rule called Musharraf’s move a “great tragedy”. “This is another coup,” Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, president of the 16-party Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, told a news conference in Lahore.
Khan disagreed with the view that holding the presidency would place Musharraf in a better position in talks with Vajpayee. “It is not possible because in a democratic country only constitutionally elected president commands respect,” he said.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, also criticized Musharraf and called for an interim government to hold fresh elections. “Gen. Musharraf used military force to capture presidency contrary to the constitution, law and traditions...,” he said in a statement.
The United States and Britain denounced Gen. Musharraf’s move. A State Department spokesman said US sanctions would remain until Pakistan moved toward democracy.
“We are very concerned and we are very disappointed that Pakistan takes another turn away from democracy rather than, as we had hoped, a step toward democracy,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the move was a “setback” for the country’s transition to democracy. “I was deeply concerned to hear that Gen. Musharraf has dissolved Pakistan’s suspended assemblies and assumed the presidency,” Straw said in a statement.
