Pakistan in Turmoil As Hero Imran is Arrested

Nov 04, 04:24 PM

Current Headlines: CRICKET legend Imran Khan was under house arrest last night as Pakistan descended into chaos.

The shock move came as President and army leader Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency.

He suspended the constitution and sent troops into TV stations in a bid to curb unrest.

It followed increasing Islamic violence in the run-up to a court ruling on whether his recent re-election was valid.

Khan, a leading opposition figure, was arrested in Lahore.

Human rights activist Asma Jahangir and sacked chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry were also under house arrest.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned from self-imposed exile in Britain, vowed that her party would oppose emergency rule.

She had been negotiating with Musharraf, a key ally of the West in the war on terror, over a switch to a civilian-led democracy.

Musharraf said he would not let his country commit suicide.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: "We'd urge restraint."

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