Key fundamental rights, including freedom of the press, were suspended and political activities banned under the Emergency imposed on Saturday by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order by him.
The provisional constitution order suspended Articles 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 19 and 25 of the constitution relating to freedom of movement and assembly and freedom of speech and the press, political activities and security of a person, safeguards for arrest and detention.
The suspension of Article 15 will affect the freedom of movement while suspension of Articles 16 and 17 will affect the freedom of assembly, the freedom to form associations and the freedom to join political activities.
The suspension of article 19 will curtail the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. The suspension of Article 9 will give sweeping powers to security agencies to detain persons while the suspension of Article 10 will allow them to arrest persons without filing charges.
Free hand
Law enforcement agencies will also not be required to produce arrested persons before a magistrate within 24 hours.
The suspension of Article 10 will also allow the government to frame laws for preventive detention of persons and such detentions will also no longer be subject to judicial review.
Hours after the imposition of Emergency, all Pakistani and foreign TV news channels were blacked out.
WHAT THEY SAY...
“It is highly regrettable that Pakistan’s president has declared a state of Emergency. The United States “does not support extra-constitutional measures.”
-Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State
“I am gravely concerned by the measures adopted today, which will take Pakistan further from these goals. We recognise the threat to peace and security faced by the country but its future rests on harnessing the power of democracy and the rule of law to achieve the goals of stability, development and countering terrorism.’’ -David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary
“There could be anything, I think we are heading towards chaos. I don’t know what is going to happen to our country and for the first time in my political career so upsetting, disappointing and disillusioning.
I think this is something very unprecedented in the history of Pakistan”.
-Nawaz Sharif, former Pak PM
“He has committed high treason by negating the orders of the Supreme Court which bars him from taking any unconstitutional steps and by sending in troops after the Supreme Court decision.” -Imran Khan, Chief of Tehreek-e-Insaaf party
