Daily Times : Musharraf’s move ‘unprecedented’: Nawaz

Musharraf's move 'unprecedented': Nawaz

agencies | November 4, 2007

KARACHI: Exiled former premier Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that President General Pervez Musharraf’s move to proclaim an emergency in the country was ‘unprecedented’.

“Never in the 60 years of Pakistan’s history has any president done this. The situation in the country is alarming,” PPI quoted him as telling Indian news channel CNN-IBN in an interview.

Nawaz said that Pakistan was heading towards anarchy and described President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to invoke emergency powers as a form of martial law, Reuters reported.

“We are heading towards a chaotic situation, heading towards anarchy,” he said.

Oppose Musharraf:

He said Musharraf’s action would bring more hardships for the people of Pakistan, and appealed to the people to “rise against the dictator”.

He said Musharraf had taken away the rights of the 160 million people under the guise of the emergency.

“The people of Pakistan should rise. It’s time for the people to rise. They must respond to the call of duty. This is a great opportunity. If we let it go, a similar opportunity will never come,” he said.

Nawaz said Musharraf was “terrorising” and “threatening” the courts.

“His action speaks volumes about his fear that the Supreme Court might rule against him in a case challenging his eligibility to run for a second presidential term.

He took this action to prevent the SC from giving its verdict,” he said, adding that Musharraf’s action was another form of terrorism.

“The decision to impose an emergency is unprecedented. Never in history has such treatment been meted out to judges. Musharraf should step down today and pave the way for fair elections,” AFP quoted him as telling Geo television.