Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Times Online:

Hundreds of opponents were arrested, demonstrations were crushed and television broadcasts blocked yesterday as President Musharraf of Pakistan moved swiftly to suppress dissent after declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday night.

Despite international condemnation of his announcement, the Government gave warning that parliamentary elections scheduled for January could be postponed for up to a year, and that emergency measures would remain in place “as long as is necessary”.

The Bush Administration announced that it would review the billions of dollars in aid that it gives to Pakistan, even though President Musharraf remains a key ally in the War on Terror. Britain is also examining its aid package.

One senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Times that General Musharraf’s desperate action was pushing his nuclear-armed country towards disaster. “This situation could lead to civil war,” he said.

With his political standing at its lowest, General Musharraf now faces the triple threat of a mass popular revolt, growing disenchantment within the Army and increasing attacks by Islamic militants.

Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister who had been negotiating a power-sharing deal with General Musharraf, said: “The judges are not going to take this lying down. The lawyers aren’t going to take this lying down. The political leaders and the activists are going to protest it. It’s going to lead to an unnecessary confrontation between the regime and the people, which can help the extremists.”

Ms Bhutto said that Saturday was Pakistan’s “blackest day” but stopped short of saying that her negotiations with the President were now finished. “It all depends on whether General Musharraf restores the Constitution immediately and forms an independent election commission for the holding of fair, free and impartial elections,” she told the BBC.

Addressing 20,000 followers near Lahore, Qazi Hussein Ahmed, leader of the opposition religious alliance, called for street protests to overthrow the “military dictator”. The powerful lawyers’ movement, which forced General Musharraf to reinstate Pakistan’s Chief Justice this year called for a nationwide strike.

General Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999, signed up to America’s war against terrorism after the 9/11 attacks of 2001, but has suffered a precipitate loss of popularity in the face of rising Islamic fundamentalism, mounting terrorist attacks and his suppression of democracy.

He declared the state of emergency in a midnight address just days before a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his reelection last month. He said that Pakistan faced a crisis caused by rising militant violence and a judiciary that had paralysed the Government. “I cannot allow this country to commit suicide,” he said.

His opponents and most impartial observers claimed that he had acted to preempt the court’s ruling and cling on to power. “Judicial decisions have to be accepted even if they don’t suit you,” Ms Bhutto insisted.

Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister, said that Pakistan was heading to anarchy and accused General Musharraf of “holding the entire nation hostage for his personal motives”. Shaukat Aziz, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, said last night that security forces had arrested up to 500 opposition leaders and activists across the country. They included Javed Hashmi, acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League, and General Hamid Gul, a former intelligence chief. Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain, was reportedly detained in his home.

Armed policemen stormed a meeting of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission in Lahore and arrested more than 70 participants.

Baton-wielding police broke up demonstrations in Islamabad, which looked like a city under siege. Soldiers patrolled the streets, manned check-posts on main roads and erected barricades around parliament, the presidential building and the Supreme Court.

The authorities blocked Pakistan’s independent television news channels as well as the BBC, CNN and Sky. Only state-controlled Pakistan Television remained on air, broadcasting religious programmes most of the time.

General Musharraf also banned live broadcasts of violent incidents, and threatened television presenters who ridiculed the President, Armed Forces, and other state bodies with jail. Pakistan’s newspapers nevertheless expressed fury at what they described as a coup and martial law.

Mr Aziz said his Government remained committed to the democratic process but parliament could now delay January’s elections for up to a year. That prospect will dismay the Bush Administration, which had been seeking a way of keeping General Musharraf in power in a manner that would not undercut its promotion of democracy in the Islamic world.

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, announced a review of aid to Pakistan – a move that diplomatic sources in Washington saw as a way of buying time in the hope that the state of emergency would soon be lifted.

The US has given Pakistan about $11 billion since 2001. Most has been for military purposes, and Ms Rice suggested it was not all at risk: “We do have concerns, continuing counter-terrorism concerns, and we have to be able to protect American citizens by continuing to fight against terrorists.”

The Democratic-controlled Congress could, however, take matters out of the Administration’s hands by voting to suspend funding for further aid.