Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. Opposition groups put the number of arrests at 3,500, although the government reported half that.
Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup and is also head of Pakistan’s army, suspended the constitution on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal. He ousted independent-minded judges, put a stranglehold on independent media and granted sweeping powers to authorities to crush dissent.
Understandably people are very concerned with the anti-democratic appearance of the situation in Pakistan. Indeed, it is most definitely anti-democratic. However, Pakistan has been in serious need of some political “house cleaning” and if this is what Musharraf must do in order to purge Islamic militants then so be it.
He has allowed the streets in the capital to become lousy with militants and the situation must be brought under control or the radicals could seize power. Then you can count on Musharraf getting his head chopped off and the country coming under Sharia law.
