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Political Development in Pakistan
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
On Friday, November 16, 2007, New York based Human Rights Watch reported that President Pervez Musharraf has used the emergency rule for crackdown on its critics and protestors detaining them. Musharraf has been clinging on to power by beating and jailing an ever-growing number of opposition activists. Most of the detained activists were held without charge, many have been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), while others were held under provisions of the colonial-era Maintenance of Public Order Act (MPO). Human Rights Watch reiterated its call for Musharraf to end the state of emergency, rescind the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO), return to the constitutional rule, reinstate the judiciary headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, restore fundamental rights, remove restrictions on the media, and release thousands of political detainees held since November 3, 2007.
On Saturday, November 17, 2007, visiting US Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte delivered a strong message to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf of ending a state pf emergency, taking off the military uniform, releasing all political detainees and holding free and fair elections for the parliament. American envoy Negroponte had a meeting with President Musharaff and General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani who would probably replace Musharraf as the Army Chief.
“US President George W Bush has been spearheading global efforts to convince Musharraf to quit the position of the Army Chief, lift emergency, reinstate the sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry and hold fair and transparent elections,” reported rediff.com.
On Monday, November 19, 2007, President Pervez Musharraf won legal battles after the Supreme Court of Pakistan installed by him after imposing a state of emergency dismissed all lawsuits challenging his presidency. General Musharraf could be declared an elected president following the presidential election held on October 6, 2007 paving the way for him to take off the army uniform to be a civilian president, and claim for being a democratically elected president. The main reason for President Musharraf to impose a state of emergency in Pakistan was to counter the powerful challenge posed by the former Supreme Court of Pakistan to his election for a president.
