Top judge attacks Musharraf rule
 Gen Musharraf sacked and swiftly replaced Iftikhar Chaudhry |
In a telephone address to lawyers in Islamabad, Iftikhar Chaudhry criticised President Pervez Musharraf, who imposed a state of emergency on Saturday.
He said the constitution had been "ripped to shreds" by Gen Musharraf and added it was now "time for sacrifices".
US President George W Bush has called on Gen Musharraf to end the emergency and restore democratic civilian rule.
Gen Musharraf said on Monday he had declared the state of emergency because of a crisis caused by militant violence and an unruly judiciary.
Struggle
Mr Chaudhry was sacked after he and eight other judges refused to endorse the order, declaring it unconstitutional.
Gen Musharraf swiftly replaced him and the Supreme Court was surrounded by troops.
 |  I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle  Iftikhar Chaudhry  |
Critics have said Gen Musharraf imposed a state of emergency to pre-empt a judgment by the Supreme Court on whether his re-election last month was legal.
Mr Chaudhry told lawyers on Tuesday: "The Supreme Court followed the constitution and the law in making all its decisions. The president's accusations are baseless.
"The constitution has been ripped to shreds. The lawyers should convey my message to the people to rise up and restore the constitution.
"This is a time for sacrifices. I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle."
The former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, echoed his calls for the constitution to be restored at a Karachi press conference.
"We want General Musharraf to abide by his promise, which he made to us and the people of Pakistan, to give up his uniform as army chief," she said.
"We want elections to be held on schedule. The government refrain from violence... it is the duty of the government to protect the people."
The Pakistani cabinet is expected to meet later to discuss the parliamentary elections, which are supposed to take place by January.
On Monday, prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the vote would go ahead on schedule, but his deputy information minister later told the BBC the elections could be delayed by as much as a year.
Demonstrations
Lawyers have called for three days of protests and strikes against the suspension of the constitution.
But police stifled their demonstrations on Monday and have deployed in large numbers to prevent any more.
Hundreds of lawyers and political opponents have been detained.
Pakistan has come under heavy international pressure since Gen Musharraf imposed emergency rule.
Mr Bush urged President Musharraf to quit his post as head of the army and hold elections as soon as possible.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed grave concern and called for the release of all those detained since the state of emergency was declared.
The UK has also reiterated demands for a return to civilian rule in Pakistan.
The Netherlands became the first country to suspend aid, and the EU said its members were considering "possible further steps".
But Gen Musharraf said confidence in his government would soon return and insisted he still planned to give up his military post, as he had been scheduled to do this month.
8 comments:
Four good articles today at
http://www.jonesreport.com/
All opposition leaders are under arrest, except... You don’t have to be a genius to work that out. Watch the next act as Bhutto is ushered in giving a heart felt speech about freedom and democracy.
The locals have a word for the current situation, its called 'drama' - staged managed by, well you guys know.
K.
And, yes, Soc, this site DOES support Alex Jones.
Yeah, I know, K. But I do like the fact that Chaudhry is still ranting even though removed from his post and on the sidelines. Do you have more info about his status?
What about the idea of the "F" student, Bush, seeing this as a dress rehersal for doing the same thing here, oh say, next spring or summer?
Seems likely.
The Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has shown moral courage by standing up to General Musharraf, however, he isn’t quite a lone wolf instead he has the backing of many of the opposition leaders; part of the local oligarchy; and different schisms of the intelligence services, but its to be seen if his call will be heeded by a public who are wary of pulling the whole edifice down to turn it into an Iraq and then see the country split by foreign powers.
K.
Well, I hope that you will keep us informed of developments.
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