IHT : Public angry as Pakistani leader declares state of emergency

Public angry as Pakistani leader declares state of emergency

The Associated Press | November 3, 2007

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: As President Gen. Pervez Musharraf sent troops onto the streets and suspended the constitution, weary Pakistanis feared a gloomy future and put the blame for the Islamic nation's woes on his shoulders.

"Pakistan is bad because of one person: Musharraf, he has ruined our country," lamented factory worker Faisal Sayed.

On the grimy streets of this garrison city, home to Musharraf's military headquarters, anger at the president was palpable. Diners in curry houses and hotels shook their heads, struggling to comprehend his decision.

Musharraf told the country he had no choice but to impose emergency laws — just days before the Supreme Court was expected to rule on his future as president. He immediately dismissed the Supreme Court justices, swearing in new appointees.

"He did not have to do this," said 40-year-old Zulfikar Ali, director of a run-down hotel near the city's busy bus station. Wagging his finger at a small television that he and his friends had crowded around to watch Musharraf address the nation, Ali cried, "He's a donkey! The Supreme Court was doing good things for the people, and this is what he did."

To the people of this Islamic nation, one of Musharraf's biggest crimes since seizing power in a 1999 coup has been his support of the U.S.-led war on terror. Even his supporters accuse him of killing his own people as the government cracks down on pro-Taliban militants near the Afghan border.

In the past week, more than 100 people have been killed in clashes between government forces and militants in northwestern Pakistan's scenic Swat valley.

"God knows what's going to happen to our country now. Musharraf is not good. He has killed so many people in Pakistan," said 18-year-old Mohammad Qasim, referring to the army's battle with insurgents.

In Islamabad, armed police and paramilitary troops poured into the streets within minutes of the general's decision, leaving several lawmakers and their families stranded at the entrance of their barricaded lodgings.

Khalid Ranja, a former minister and member of Musharraf's ruling party, pleaded with paramilitary rangers to get into his apartment, but to no avail.

Nonetheless, Ranja said he backed Musharraf. "It was needed because of the blasts everywhere. No one was feeling safe," he said outside the barbed wire blockade.

Many of Pakistan's private news channels were among the first to be hit by the emergency laws. Their signals were cut, leaving just state-run Pakistan Television to deliver news of the emergency.

Geo TV, which continued to broadcast to overseas viewers from its hub in Dubai, changed it's masthead from a vibrant blue and yellow to black and gray as a gesture of mourning.