Worst of News for Freedom: Emergency in Pakistan
In the worst of news, President Musharraf has declared a State of Emergency in Pakistan. Live TV coverage of the Situation is available over the Internet at IBN from India. The picture, above, is from ARYOne television, which has somehow continued to broadcast abroad, despite reports that all private TV stations are off the air in Pakistan.
The Chief Justice has been arrested; the 8 remaining Justices have met en banc and overturned the emergency, but the Declaration of Emergency attempted to nullify the effect of any Supreme Court Order .
Private Geo TV said the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association has been arrested, according to Al-Jazeera, which also reports that all telephone lines have been cut in Islamabad.
There is a call for all persons concerned about Democracy to gather in New York City at the Pakistan Consulate at 65st between Madison and Fifth avenue TODAY at 2:30 pm.
Further info on the Supreme Court order:
ISLAMABAD: The seven-member bench of the Supreme Court has rejected the imposition of the PCO.
The emergency bench consists of chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Mir Shakirullah Jan, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Ghulam Rasani. The SC bench has given verdict that the emergency cannot be imposed and the PCO cannot be issued.
It has also been said in the decision that no judge and chief justice of the Supreme Court and High Courts can take oath under the new PCO.
Under this decision, all corps commanders, chief of army staff and all civil and military officials have been bound that they would not abide by any order of the government which go against the constitution or the law.
The prime minister and the president have been made parties in the decision.
The chief justice and all members of the bench are present in the building of the Supreme Court while the chief justice called the IG Islamabad in connection with cordoning off the Supreme Court building and stop the media from entering the building but he did not appear.
The bench said that it would make every such decision which would be in accordance with the law and the constitution and nobody would be allowed to break the law.
The Chief Justice has been arrested; the 8 remaining Justices have met en banc and overturned the emergency, but the Declaration of Emergency attempted to nullify the effect of any Supreme Court Order .
Private Geo TV said the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association has been arrested, according to Al-Jazeera, which also reports that all telephone lines have been cut in Islamabad.
There is a call for all persons concerned about Democracy to gather in New York City at the Pakistan Consulate at 65st between Madison and Fifth avenue TODAY at 2:30 pm.
Further info on the Supreme Court order:
ISLAMABAD: The seven-member bench of the Supreme Court has rejected the imposition of the PCO.
The emergency bench consists of chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Mir Shakirullah Jan, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Ghulam Rasani. The SC bench has given verdict that the emergency cannot be imposed and the PCO cannot be issued.
It has also been said in the decision that no judge and chief justice of the Supreme Court and High Courts can take oath under the new PCO.
Under this decision, all corps commanders, chief of army staff and all civil and military officials have been bound that they would not abide by any order of the government which go against the constitution or the law.
The prime minister and the president have been made parties in the decision.
The chief justice and all members of the bench are present in the building of the Supreme Court while the chief justice called the IG Islamabad in connection with cordoning off the Supreme Court building and stop the media from entering the building but he did not appear.
The bench said that it would make every such decision which would be in accordance with the law and the constitution and nobody would be allowed to break the law.
posted by Publia at 10:38 AM
2 Comments:
Please, please don't call it "Emergency" as it is just plain simple Martial Law. Rememeber Mush has suspended the constitution, declared "emergency" as Chief of Army Staff and not as President. He has also issued a Provisional Constitutional Order(PCO) which clearly makes it a martial law. Please also see The End of Pakistan
Nota, Thank you for your links and your comment.
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