Musharraf declares emergency rule in Pakistan
Saturday, November 3, 2007
- 16 January 2012: Dozens killed, injured after blast hits Shias in Punjab, Pakistan
- 1 December 2011: A portrait of Scotland: Gallery reopens after £17.6 million renovation
- 10 October 2011: Pakistani journalist found dead in home
- 23 August 2011: Pakistan government must investigate killings and abductions of journalists, says UN
- 12 August 2011: Three killed amongst Birmingham, England riots
Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule in Pakistan according to state television. Independent stations have gone off the air.
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".
Sources
- "U.S. disappointed as Musharraf sets emergency rule" — Reuters, November 3, 2007
- "Musharraf imposes emergency rule" — BBC News Online, November 3, 2007
- Kamran Haidar. "Pakistan's Musharraf invokes emergency rule" — Reuters, November 3, 2007
- Matthew Pennington, AP. "Pakistan's Musharraf Declares Emergency" — ABC News, November 3, 2007
- "Sources: Martial law declared in Pakistan" — CNN, November 3, 2007

