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Activists Detained In Pakistan Crackdown
Ruth David,
A day after president Pervez Musharraf reasserted control over Pakistan by declaring a state of emergency, security forces patrolled the streets of the country Sunday, rounding up key critics of the government.
According to reports, hundreds of people, including opposition politicians and lawyers who took part in vocal protests against Musharraf's rule earlier this year, are in custody. Among them: cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and Javed Hashmi, acting chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. At least one television station, Aaj TV, was raided.
"We are back to square one," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial. "Back to Oct. 12, 1999. All the gains over the years have gone down the drain," it said, referring to the date Musharraf took control of Pakistan.
Nov. 3 "will go down as another dark day in Pakistan's political and constitutional history," The News said Sunday, joining the international condemnation of the crackdown.
Musharraf decided to declare an emergency and install a provisional constitution to protect Pakistan's interests, he said Saturday, addressing the nation on state-owned television. The move would ensure Pakistan's transition to democracy won't be derailed by rising terrorism and extremism.
Critics say there's another reason for the decision. Musharraf's term as president expires on Nov. 15 and the Supreme Court was scheduled to rule this month if he is eligible for another term as president. He won a presidential election by a majority in October. The latest move is likely to stall general elections scheduled for January.
Eight Supreme Court judges rejected the emergency as unconstitutional. Chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhry was removed from office and taken away by the military to an unknown location, reports said. Musharraf appointed a new chief justice. He accused the courts of releasing terrorists, and charged them with fostering a breakdown of law and order. The supreme court building was surrounded by soldiers.
The government shut down the transmission of private media channels and cut telephone services in the capital Islamabad. Justifying a ban on TV stations, Musharraf accused the media of spreading "negativism." He restricted them from expressing any opinion "prejudicial" to himself or to Pakistan.
The bulk of the president's address was in Urdu, but he switched to English toward the end to make an appeal to Pakistan's "friends in the West--the U.S., the European Union and the Commonwealth." Musharraf asked for understanding of the "critical situation" the nation was in.
"Please do not expect or demand your level of democracy, which you learned over a number of centuries. Please also do not demand or expect your number of civil rights, human rights or civil liberties Please give us time. For me and every Pakistani, Pakistan comes first," Musharraf said, comparing his actions with those of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln to preserve the union.
A wave of Islamist militancy in the country claimed hundreds of lives in the last few weeks. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan last month was marked by a suicide bombing which killed 139 people. After news of the emergency broke Saturday, Bhutto returned to Pakistan from Dubai.
She was welcomed by throngs of supporters when she arrived in the business district of Karachi. After Musharraf's address, she said the president had imposed martial law by putting the constitution in abeyance and taking complete control of the nation.
"This is a situation worse than an emergency. The people of Pakistan will not accept this," Bhutto said, accusing Musharraf of taking the step to pre-empt a likely court ruling against his presidency.
Former Prime Minister Sharif also slammed the move. He'd attempted to return to Pakistan in September, but was deported to Saudi Arabia by the general. "We have not witnessed such a grave situation in the 60 years of Pakistan's history," Sharif told an Indian news channel.
Some Pakistani citizens indicated the move could help the nation, though it was a blow for civil rights. "It's very quiet on the streets of Karachi," Mahim Rehman, head of research at DLA Capital, said late Saturday. "Over the last week, we had an indication this could happen because of the worsening law and order situation and speculation that the Supreme Court would rule against Musharraf's presidency. If Musharraf seems to be in control again, that will be seen a positive sign." Musharraf said a rise in extremism was hurting foreign investment.
Musharraf has been under pressure from the international community to restore democracy through nationwide elections. International reaction to the crackdown was swift.
"It's highly regrettable that Pakistan's president has declared a state of martial law," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday. "The U.S. does not support extra constitutional measures." American officials reportedly made requests to Musharraf not to impose emergency rule this week, indicating it could jeopardize U.S. financial support for his military.
"We regret the difficult times that Pakistan is passing through," neighboring India's external affairs ministry said in a statement. "We trust that conditions of normalcy will soon return, permitting Pakistan's transition to stability and democracy to continue."
In Britain, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: "We recognize the threat to peace and security faced by the country, but its future rests on harnessing the power of democracy and the rule of law to achieve the goals of stability, development and countering terrorism. I am gravely concerned by the measures adopted [Saturday], which will take Pakistan further from these goals."
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Pervez Musharraf in 2004. 
Hundreds of people were rounded up by security forces in Pakistan, one day after Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule, effectively martial law. Scores of opposition figures were among those detained.

Javed Hashmi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party, the party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was arrested. "Musharraf's days are numbered. The time has come to end the political role of the army," he told reporters in Multan before being taken away by police. Nawaz Sharif said to an Indian news channel: "We have not witnessed such a grave situation in the 60 years of Pakistan's history."

Also arrested were pro-democracy attorney, Munir Malik, and the leader of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Asma Jehangir. Both have been involved in protests against Musharraf in past years. Troops also arrested the staff of the Commission and began to close off and surround government buildings.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned home, addressed supporters in Karachi. "This is a situation worse than an emergency. The people of Pakistan will not accept this," Bhutto said.

On Saturday, Musharraf laid out his reasons for the emergency rule. "Please do not expect or demand your level of democracy, which you learned over a number of centuries. Please also do not demand or expect your number of civil rights, human rights or civil liberties … Please give us time. For me and every Pakistani, Pakistan comes first," said Musharraf in a statement.

In a "charge sheet" levied against the judiciary, the government said: "... (T)here has been increasing interference by some members of the judiciary in government policy, adversely affecting economic growth, in particular," adding that there was "constant interference in executive functions."

The government further accused the judiciary of having "weakened the writ of the government, the police force ... been completely demoralised and ...fast losing its efficacy to fight terrorism, and intelligence agencies ... thwarted in their activities and prevented from pursuing terrorists."

Parliamentary elections may be delayed. The current Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz said, at a news conference, that the government is still committed to democracy, but "the government is deliberating on the election schedule."

"Now that we have emergency rule, parliament's term can be extended by one year," said Aziz. Pakistan was due to have a general election on January 15, 2008.
Presidential Palace on June 27, 2007.
Meanwhile, the United States has said it will review the financial aid that is providing Pakistan. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters, while in Jerusalem: "Obviously we are going to have to review the situation with aid, in part because we have to see what may be triggered by certain statutes."

The US has given an estimated US$10 billion in aid to Pakistan since 2001, primarily for counter-terrorism. This year Pakistan is receiving about $700 million in assistance.

"We have to be very cognizant of the fact that some of the assistance that has been going directly to Pakistan is directly related to counter-terrorism missions. This is a complicated matter," Rice said. She also condemned the declaration of emergency rule, saying "it's highly regrettable that Pakistan's president has declared a state of martial law. The U.S. does not support extra constitutional measures."

US Senator Joe Biden, the chairperson on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations agreed that a review is needed. "I'm not sure how much good that military aid we're giving him to fight the extremists is doing us anyway," he said on television program, ''Face the Nation''.

Tony Blair, special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East said on ''Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer'': "The sooner that we return to the pledges to restore democracy that were set out, the better. But it's a very, very difficult situation this indeed, and it's a situation that if it's not resolved in the right way, I think it's extremely worrying for the whole of the world, not just for Pakistan."