Islamabad - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will likely
commence a further five-year term later this week after stepping down
as army chief, Attorney General Malik Qayyum said in Islamabad
Tuesday.
'He will be sworn in as a civilian president, there is no doubt
about it,' Qayyum told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, adding that the
ceremony could take place on Friday or Saturday, depending on the
imminent ruling of the Supreme Court on Musharraf's October 6
re-election.
The court, which was reformed under the state of emergency imposed
by the president on November 3, this week threw out several petitions
challenging his eligibility to run for office while still serving in
the army.
A final petition is due to be heard on Thursday and is also
expected to be dismissed.
In the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday, police baton-
charged journalists protesting curbs on the media imposed as part of
the emergency, arresting more then 150 people, news reports said.
Several demonstrators were injured in the clashes, which occurred
outside the city's press club, Geo News reported on its website, the
television channel's only service still operating after it was shut
down by the government at midnight Friday.
Geo and the private ARY news channel were closed after they
refused to accept self-censorship requirements. Other Pakistani and
foreign broadcasters had their transmissions blocked under the
emergency measures.
US Ambassador Anne Patterson visited the offices of Geo on Monday
during a trip to Karachi to consult with opposition leader Benazir
Bhutto.
The arrests of the journalists followed an announcement by the
Interior Ministry that it had released 3,400 people detained during
the emergency.
The step was part of an ongoing process to ease the crisis and
reflected an improvement in the law and order situation in the
country, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said.
Another 2,000 members of the opposition, lawyers and other
categories would be released 'soon'.
However, opposition parties claim around 15,000 of their
supporters were arrested in roundups and at demonstrations this
month.
Concerning the dozen members of the old Supreme Court, including
former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who have been confined to
their official residences since November 3, Cheema said they were
'free to go to their homes if they want to.' But he did not say if
they would be allowed to move freely elsewhere.
The opposition has demanded the reinstatement of the old
judiciary.
Musharraf, an army general who seized power in a 1999 coup and
became a key US counter-terrorism ally, is also under intense
pressure at home and abroad to hang up his uniform before stating a
second term.
The opposition, the United States, Britain and the European Union
have called for an end to the emergency, which Musharraf says was
necessary to stem Islamic militancy and terrorism. But his critics
say it was aimed at preventing the former Supreme Court judges from
annulling his re-election.
All sides have also called for the restoration of the constitution
and the freedom of the media, the release of political prisoners and
free and fair general elections of a new parliamentary assembly in
polls now scheduled for January 8.
The date was announced Tuesday by Chief Election Commissioner Qazi
Muhammad Farooq, who said parties must submit nomination papers
before November 27 and that lists of approved candidates would be
announced on December 16.
Musharraf has previously warned that the emergency could be
maintained through the polls in view of the security situation.
A latest call for an end to the emergency, issued by the EU, was
bluntly rebuffed by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, which said it
'ignores the ground realities and fails to show understanding of the
extraordinary situation that necessitated emergency for maintaining
political stability and preserving the on-going political process in
the country.'
Meanwhile, the president on Tuesday flew to Saudi Arabia on a
two-day visit for talks with King Abdullah over the political crisis
and for possible contacts with Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz
Sharif.
Saudi Arabia, where Sharif has lived in exile since Musharraf
ousted him from power in 1999, has strong ties with Pakistan.
The ex-premier was arrested and deported from his homeland on
September 10 during an abortive attempt to end his seven-year absence
and lead the opposition against Musharraf.
Sharif was Pakistan's prime minister twice between 1990 and 1999.
His Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is one of several
that have threatened to boycott the elections.
Pakistan's All-Parties Democratic Movement, which includes the
PML-N and an alliance of religious groups, this week decided not to
attend a meeting called by the election commission to discuss a code
of conduct for the polls.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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