Army Takes Control In Pakistan

Sky News - Nov 3, 2007

President Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule in Pakistan amid mounting violence in the country.

Paramilitary troops were reported to be deployed inside state-run television and radio stations in Islamabad.

Others were said to be blockading the road to the Supreme Court.

Pakistan state television said General Musharraf, who is also chief of army staff, had issued a provisional constitutional order declaring an emergency.

Sky News' Alex Crawford said the US and other Western allies had urged him not to take steps that would jeopardize the country's transition to democracy.

"This will be very, very disappointing to America and spells a very uncertain future for Pakistan. The country is going through a state of very, very real upheaval," said Crawford.

The opposition party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the move.

"The whole nation will resist this extra-constitutional measure," said Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for his PML-N party.

In September, General Musharraf barred Mr Sharif from returning to exile to Pakistan to mount a campaign against military rule.

Speculation had been rife for days that the president would impose emergency rule or martial law.

He is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on whether he is eligible to run for re-election last month while still head of the military.

An official at a cable TV news provider said the authorities were blocking transmissions of private news channels in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi.

State TV was still on the air.

During previous emergencies in Pakistan, a provisional constitutional order has led to the suspension of some basic rights of citizens and judges told to take a fresh oath of office.