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Army declares state of emergency in Pakistan

The army declared a state of emergency in Pakistan after midnight, announcing that it had suspended the Constitution and the National Assembly and taken control of the entire country.

In a statement released shortly after midnight, the chief of the army staff, General Pervez Musharraf, who overthrew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief in a bloodless coup on Tuesday, said, "The whole of Pakistan will come under the control of the armed forces of Pakistan."

"The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance," the statement said. All Cabinet ministers, provincial governors and chief ministers "shall cease to hold office", it added.

The statement said General Musharraf would become "chief executive", but that President Rafiq Tarar would remain in office.

A separate "provisional constitution order" was also issued, which said: "No judgment, decree, writ, order or process whatsoever shall be made or issued by any court or tribunal against the chief executive or any authority designated by the chief executive.

"No court, tribunal or other authority shall call or permit to be called in question the proclamation of emergency on the 14th day of October 1999 or any order made in pursuance thereof."

Fundamental rights that do not conflict with the state of emergency proclamation will remain in force, the army said.

The announcement ended two days of suspense over what the army planned to do after its lightning coup, staged just two hours after Sharief dismissed Musharraf as army chief.

It follows worldwide condemnation of the coup and demands that democracy be restored to Pakistan.

The statement did not mention Sharief, who has been accused by the army of hatching a conspiracy against the armed forces.

UNI

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