Musharraf Faces More Calls for Democracy

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – President General Musharraf received no respite from political woes on Friday after backing away from emergency rule, with Washington intensifying pressure to deliver results on fighting militants and home front rivals demanding more democracy.General Musharraf, battered by a series of stumbles in his bid for a new five-year presidential term, was urged by some advisers to declare a state of emergency that would have drastically curtailed freedoms.He decided against it on Thursday after strong opposition from inside and outside his government, and a late night phone call from Secretary of State Rice.The idea that General Musharraf, a key American ally in fighting terrorism, was even considering a state of emergency was seen as a sign of weakness rather than muscle-flexing, and opposition parties on Friday characterized his decision against the move as a defeat for the military leader.“Shortly after the media reported that Musharraf’s government had taken a decision to declare emergency in Pakistan, civil society – including politicians and lawyers – revolted and a subsequent public opinion coup forced the government to reverse its decision,” said Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League-N party.Ameer ul-Azeem, a spokesman for Pakistan’s largest religious party, Jamaat-e-Islami, said General Musharraf had hoped to hobble expected legal challenges to his bid for another presidential term and plans by exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan and run in legislative elections due by early next year.MO<"Musharraf is scared of the judiciary, and he wanted to curtail its powers by imposing emergency," Mr. ul-Azeem said, adding that the president is "perturbed and panicked" by his falling political fortunes.Prime Minister Aziz confirmed Thursday he and General Musharraf had discussed a state of emergency but they had decided “at the time being, we do not see the need for such action.”There have been more than 360 deaths in the past month in surging militant violence, but the consensus among analysts and opposition groups is that Pakistan’s security situation does not warrant a state of emergency – and a decision by Musharraf to impose it would have appeared politically motivated.Under Pakistan’s constitution, the president can impose a temporary state of emergency to deal with serious external or internal security threats. Freedom of movement, assembly and some activities of the courts can be restricted, and the term of parliament can be extended for one year.General Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, is struggling to deal with a combination of political and security problems. His popularity has ebbed since his bungled attempt to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in March drew thousands of protesters into the streets and raised calls for democracy.In a Thursday news conference in Washington, President Bush said he had seen no evidence that Musharraf had decided to make an emergency declaration, then listed some expectations he had of the Pakistani president.These included “full cooperation in sharing intelligence” on suspected terrorist activity in Pakistan’s border region with Afghanistan, “swift action taken if there’s actionable intelligence on high-value targets,” and “a free and fair election.”Recent comments from Washington and by American presidential hopefuls that America would consider unilateral military strikes against Al Qaeda in Pakistan have caused friction between America and Pakistan, which views such action as a threat to its sovereignty.Benazir Bhutto, another exiled former prime minister and opposition leader, said she was worried that a state of emergency might lead to the legislative elections being deferred.“My fear is that if elections are postponed or democracy is not restored, it will simply play into the hands of the extremist forces,” Benazir told NBC Nightly News.Mrs. Bhutto, who recently held talks with Musharraf about a possible power-sharing deal but is insisting he quit the army first, suggested Musharraf might take drastic action if he feels trapped.“I feel the military – General Musharraf’s regime – should not be pushed into a corner,” she said, without elaborating.___Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Anne Gearan in Washington and reporter Munir Ahmad in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Musharraf Faces More Calls for Democracy

Musharraf Faces More Calls for Democracy

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