Emergency

Once again, Pakistan awaits an uncertain future - the general has suspended the constitution and imposed national emergency. It is not that Musharraf's government hadn't seriously curtailed the civil liberties, but this takes it to a different level. Those who have read about Indira's emergency during 1977 period would know what it means - people becoming pawns in an increasingly powerful government, kangaroo trials and instant justice, all in all a violent time for the common citizens - i just hope that the violence doesn't get any worse, but that is too much to hope for with this development.

Pakistani media has slammed this move in the strongest terms possible. See the excerpt from Dawn.

we are back to square one. Back to Oct 12, 1999. All the gains over the years have gone down the drain. All this talk about the forward thrust towards democracy, about the impending 'third phase' of the political process and the lip service to the sanctity of judiciary turned out to be one great deception. The people have been cheated. In a nutshell, one-man rule has been reinforced, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel...