Musharraf Seizes Power in Pakistan

Nov 04, 06:28 AM

Current Headlines: By James Rupert, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Nov. 4--ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- After nine months of watching his power erode, Pakistani's military president, Pervez Musharraf, seized it back last night in a risky move. Police and soldiers fanned out around strategic buildings and city streets as the president suspended the constitution, swept aside the Supreme Court and declared he will rule by decree.

Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule appeared certain to scuttle his meticulous, U.S.-backed plan for at least partly free elections and a more democratic government. Ordinary Pakistanis and political analysts said they fear a popular -- possibly violent -- backlash.

There is a "danger that Pakistan could spin out of control," said Pakistan scholar Stephen P. Cohen of the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Protests could weaken the government's already inconsistent fight against Islamic militant groups, including al-Qaida, noted a prominent military analyst here, retired Gen. Talat Masood.

U.S. slams 'sharp setback'

The Bush administration, which backed Musharraf's effort to shift his power base from the army to a purely civilian presidency, swiftly condemned his decree. "A state of emergency would be a sharp setback for Pakistani democracy and takes Pakistan off the path toward civilian rule," the State Department said. It noted that Musharraf had promised to quit the army command and hold elections for a new government. "We expect him to uphold these commitments and urge him to do so immediately," it said. The Pentagon stressed that Musharraf's declaration does not affect U.S. military support of Pakistan.

Pakistanis last night criticized their president's decree, some calling it a second coup by Musharraf, who ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999. Sharif and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the country's most prominent politicians, separately condemned the decree. Bhutto, who had been with her family in Dubai, quickly flew to Pakistan when news of the decree broke, and she said she would consult other political leaders about how to oppose it.

With army and police mobilized, it was unclear whether protests will happen. Demonstrations led by pro-democracy lawyers forced Musharraf to retreat this summer after he tried to oust the country's increasingly independent and popular chief justice, Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry. Last night, police in at least three cities arrested lawyers who led that movement.

Musharraf's public support has plunged since March, when he first tried to oust Chaudhry. Since July, a widening struggle against Islamic militants has challenged Musharraf's authority, demoralized his army and killed 700 to 800 Pakistanis.

Under Chaudhry, the Supreme Court was considering a ruling, expected around Nov. 13, that could have declared Musharraf ineligible to serve as president. His seizure of emergency powers appeared to be a pre-emptive strike. The decree said "increasing interference by ... the judiciary" was obstructing the fight against rising Islamic militant violence. Musharraf cited Supreme Court orders for the release of hundreds of men held secretly by the military.

"If timely action is not taken, then God forbid there is a threat to Pakistan's sovereignty," Musharraf said in a televised midnight speech. Switching to English and addressing his American critics, he quoted President Abraham Lincoln justifying extra-constitutional measures to save the nation during the U.S. Civil War.

Beginning Wednesday, rumors had swirled here that some kind of emergency rule was being planned. Pakistani journalists cited government sources as saying Musharraf's advisers were deeply divided. Yesterday afternoon, residents began phoning each other to tell of truckloads of police assembling near main government buildings. As dusk fell, TV screens around the city blinked off as authorities shut down local broadcasts. Police took control of the state television headquarters and closed roads outside the presidency, Supreme Court and other strategic sites. As they did, state TV announced the emergency decree.

Justices: Decree is illegal

Officials, reportedly including troops, presented Musharraf's decree to Chaudhry and other Supreme Court justices, said Chaudhry's personal attorney, Aitzaz Ahsan. Eight of the 17 justices, including Chaudhry, immediately declared the decree illegal, Ahsan told reporters. Reports of Chaudhry's status varied, some saying he was under house arrest, others that he was barricaded in his office. Within hours of the decree's announcement, state TV showed Musharraf ceremoniously swearing in another Supreme Court member, Abdulhameed Dogar, as the new chief justice.

Ahsan, who helped lead the summer protests, spoke to journalists in his home as police pulled up outside with a warrant to arrest and hold him for 30 days. As an officer waited at one side to escort him to jail, Ahsan vowed that lawyers will lead protests. "They have given me an order for 30 days, but he will not last 30 days."

-----

To see more of Newsday, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsday.com

Copyright (c) 2007, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.