Islamabad - Pakistan on Tuesday rejected international
condemnation of President Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose
emergency rule and growing calls for the restoration of democracy as
interference in its internal affairs.
'The imposition of emergency is Pakistan's internal affair,'
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq told Deutsche
Presse-Agentur dpa.
US President George W Bush on Monday urged Musharraf, a key US
ally in the fight against terrorism, to restore civilian rule and
hold elections - currently set for January - 'as soon as possible'.
But Sadiq said: 'This is an extraordinary step that was taken to
meet extraordinary challenges Pakistan is facing in form of extremism
and terrorism. We expect friendly countries to show understanding to
the delicacy of situation.'
Musharraf, an army general who took power in a military coup in
1999, has repeatedly justified the suspension of the country's
constitution on Saturday by saying it would reinforce efforts to curb
rising militancy in the tribal belt near Afghanistan.
But there is a widespread belief that he used the
extra-constitutional measure to neutralize a defiant judiciary, which
he believed would rule against his controversial re-election on
October 6. All top judges were removed from their posts and required
to swear fresh oaths of allegiance although many refused to do so and
were placed under house arrest.
Thousands of lawyers and rights activists on Monday held
countrywide anti-Musharraf demonstrations, which police broke up
using tear gas, baton charges and mass arrests, drawing severe
international criticism.
Holland announced a temporary halt to all financial assistance for
Pakistan while Britain said it was 'considering its position' on
grants for development and other projects.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour
expressed alarm at the suspension of basic human rights.
Arbour said she was particularly concerned about reports that
leading judges, lawyers and political and human rights activists had
been detained or placed under house arrest, including the UN's
special rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Asma Jahangir.
The opposition claimed more than 3,000 people had been rounded up
since Saturday. Official sources put the number at 1,500.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called upon Musharraf to
immediately free the detainees, his spokeswoman said.
Despite the broad criticism of emergency rule, Bush was careful to
maintain diplomatic balance with a key ally in the fight on
terrorism, praising Musharraf as a 'a strong fighter against
extremists and radicals.'
But the Bush administration, which proclaims the promotion of
democracy to be the bedrock of its foreign policy, was in turn
accused of backing Musharraf as an anti-terrorism ally at the expense
of democracy.
In the face of growing global pressure, Musharraf's government
continued to give confusing signals about the holding of general
elections of a new parliament due by mid-January.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Monday that there would be no
change in the election schedule, a day after he indicated the vote
could be delayed for one year.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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