Soldiers stand guard in front of the administrative center of the capital Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended Pakistan's constitution and deployed troops in the capital Saturday, declaring that rising Islamic extremism had forced him to take emergency measures. He also replaced the chief justice and blacked out the independent media that refused to support him.
Authorities began rounding up opposition politicians, cut phone lines in Islamabad and took all but state television off air, defying calls from Washington and other Western allies not to take authoritarian measures.
On Sunday, police arrested Javed Hashmi, the acting president of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party. Hashmi was arrested along with 10 aides when he stepped outside his house in the central city of Multan. Police also arrested six lawyers, including the secretary of the Multan High Court Bar Association.
The U.S. said it was disappointed and called for Musharraf to restore democracy. However, the Pentagon said the emergency declaration does not affect U.S. military support for Pakistan and its efforts in the war on terrorism. Britain said it was deeply concerned.
Musharraf's leadership is threatened by an increasingly defiant Supreme Court, the reemergence of political rival and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and an Islamic movement that has spread to the capital. The Supreme Court was expected to rule soon on the validity of Musharraf's contentious re-election last month.
Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum denied claims in the media and from Bhutto, that Musharraf had imposed martial law direct rule by the army without announcing it. He said this was not the case as the prime minister and parliament were still in place.
Analysts said the emergency measures may only postpone Musharraf's political demise.
In a televised address late Saturday night, Musharraf looked somber and composed, wearing a black tunic rather than his usual military fatigues. He said Pakistan was at a "dangerous" juncture.
"The extremism has even spread to Islamabad, and the extremists are taking the writ of the government in their own hands, and even worse they are imposing their obsolete ideas on moderates," he said.
Musharraf's order allows courts to function but suspends some fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution, including freedom of speech. It also allows authorities to detain people without informing them of the charges.
Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule in Pakistan according to state television. Independent stations have gone off the air.
Pervez Musharraf has ruled Pakistan since 1999
Reports say that police have surrounded the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while the judges are still inside. The court is deciding whether Musharraf was eligible to run in last month's election, which he won. The Supreme Court has stated that Musharraf does not have the authority to declare the state of emergency, which includes a suspension of the Constitution.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned home, is currently out of the country, visiting family in Dubai. 

''Dawn News'', a private television station in Pakistan had stated that sources said that a declaration of emergency rule was imminent. ''Dawn News'' and other private news organizations then went off the air. Some reports are also saying that land and cell lines into the capital are not functioning, but it is not clear if this is deliberate or is due to high traffic or some other concern. 

Most other countries have responded negatively to this news. The United States said that it was "disappointed" by the move while the United Kingdom's foreign secretary said that it was vital that Pakistan "abides by the commitment to hold free and fair elections on schedule".