Pakistan’s President Musharraf has suspended the Constitution and declared a state of emergency:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 3 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule Saturday, suspending the constitution amid a heavy security presence including armored personnel carriers on the streets of the capital.
Musharraf, who instituted a provisional constitution, was expected to address the nation later and cite continuing fighting in the turbulent Swat Valley as his reason.
Opposition parties quickly gathered to denounce the move, which also blocked transmission of private television broadcasts nationwide.
The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was removed from his job and placed under house arrest. Musharraf had suspended the judge earlier this year, but he was later reinstated.
“This is a very fateful day for the country. Pakistan is in deep, deep crisis,” said Aitzaz Ahsan, Chaudhry’s attorney. “It is one man against the nation.” Ahsan said that he expected to be arrested later Saturday night.
With his political future hanging on an upcoming Supreme Court decision, Musharraf had been said to be considering the move if the judgment did not go his way.
Nuclear weapons, a state of emergency, and terrorists in the north. Sounds like a fine recipe for chaos.
I agree that this is not good. Any time a nuclear state declares a state of emergency/marshal law the world should take notice.
This latest move by Mr. Musharraf is also not going to win him any brownie points with the Bush administration. While it is not completely clear why he saw fit to take this particular action, it does not bode well for general stability in the region. If nothing else, it will strain US-Pakistani relations, and distract the Pakistani military to some extent, from their mission in the tribal areas. This, in turn, will further stress US assets in the region, potentially lightening up pressure on the Taliban and Al-Queda, as well as providing opportunities for other less-than-helpful players to step in and interfere with stabilization efforts. If you’d like to read more of my comments on this situation please visit my website: http://www.literarycomments.com