ISLAMABAD, 4 November 2007 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and sacked the chief justice of the Supreme Court, saying the judiciary was interfering with the government and that Islamic militancy posed a grave threat.
Troops and police surrounded the Supreme Court in Islamabad, which had been due in coming days to give a verdict on the legality of Musharraf’s victory in an Oct. 6 presidential election.
The government replaced Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice who has been a thorn in the government’s side since Musharraf’s botched bid to sack him earlier this year, with Hameed Dogar.
“Justice Hameed Dogar was administered the oath as chief justice by President Pervez Musharraf under the new provisional constitutional order,” a government spokesman said.
In a late-night television address to the nation, Musharraf said: “The government system, in my view, is in semi-paralysis. All government functionaries are being insulted by courts, that is why they are unable to take any action.”
“Terrorism and extremism are at their extreme,” Musharraf added, citing a number of recent blasts including one in Karachi at Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming from exile on Oct. 18 that killed 139 people.
Musharraf appealed to the United States, the EU and the British Commonwealth to “kindly understand the criticality of the situation in Pakistan and around Pakistan.”
“Inaction at this moment is suicide for Pakistan and I cannot allow this country to commit suicide,” he added.
Benazir, meanwhile, returned to Pakistan from Dubai yesterday. “People want leadership. I came back to the country so that I could encourage the people, raise their morale. I plan to meet with other leaders of political parties and discuss with them a course of action to reverse the suspension of the constitution,” she told Sky News.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said he had been placed under house arrest. “Police entered my house in Lahore and told me that I am placed under house arrest. They did not show me any detention order at all,” Imran said. Imran had earlier accused Musharraf of committing treason and called on people to join street protests.
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the suspension of emergency rule, but the government rejected the move.
All land and mobile telephone lines went down shortly after the declaration while private television channels were taken off the air as tension gripped the normally placid capital.
Aitzaz Ahsan, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, told reporters at his home he was being arrested. “One man has taken the entire nation hostage... Time has come for Gen. Musharraf to go,” he said. Fellow lawyers shouted “Go Musharraf Go” as Ahsan was taken away by police.
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the official result of the October presidential vote, in which Musharraf won another five-year term, cannot be declared until it rules whether the vote was legal.
The government held a special Cabinet meeting to approve the declaration of emergency.
The move is expected to put off parliamentary elections due in January, although Pakistan Television said that the Cabinet, national and provincial assemblies would continue to function.
Musharraf had said he would quit as army chief if he was given a second term, and he had allowed Benazir back into Pakistan to lead her party into the national elections.
Musharraf’s troubles began in March when he suspended Supreme Court Justice Chaudhry on allegations of misconduct. Critics accused him of trying to put pressure on the court not to block his re-election and Musharraf’s popularity plummeted as lawyers rallied to support the top judge.
The White House called Musharraf’s announcement “very disappointing” and said he needs to keep a pledge to hold elections by January.
“This action is very disappointing. President Musharraf needs to stand by his pledges to have free and fair elections in January and step down as Chief of Army Staff before retaking the presidential oath of office,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.
Giant neighbor India regretted the development and hoped normality will soon be restored in Pakistan. “We regret the difficult times that Pakistan is passing through,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in New Delhi.
“We trust that conditions of normalcy will soon return, permitting Pakistan’s transition to stability and democracy to continue,” Sarna said.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Britain was “gravely concerned” at Musharraf’s move and urged him to act within the constitution.
Britain recognized the threats to peace and security in Pakistan, but its future lay in “harnessing the power of democracy and the rule of law to achieve the goals of stability, development and countering terrorism,”” he said.
Human Rights Watch said the move was meant to control increasingly independent judges.
“This is a shameless attempt to prevent Pakistanis from enjoying their basic rights under the law and a brazen attempt at muzzling the judiciary,” the New York-based rights group said in a statement.
— Additional input from agencies
