WaPo : Musharraf Lifts Emergency Rule in Pakistan

Musharraf Lifts Emergency Rule in Pakistan

By Griff Witte | Washington Post Foreign Service | December 15, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 15 -- President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday lifted emergency rule in Pakistan, six weeks to the day after he suspended the constitution and fired most of the Supreme Court.

The decision to end the emergency had little tangible impact. Numerous top judges remained under house arrest Saturday, the media continued to work under a restrictive new code of conduct and the nation hurtled toward parliamentary elections early next month that are widely expected to be rigged.

But an end to the emergency had been a key demand of the United States and other Western countries, which have been pressuring Musharraf to guide the country back toward democracy.

Before lifting the emergency, Musharraf enacted constitutional amendments designed to provide legal cover for his actions on Nov. 3. Late that night, he announced in a nationwide address that, as Pakistan's army chief, he was granting himself emergency powers. Since then, he has used those powers to consolidate his control, with his government rounding up thousands of dissidents and violently suppressing protests. Musharraf stepped down as head of the army late last month.

Saturday's amendments are unlikely to deter Musharraf's rivals: Opposition politicians have said they will push to have Musharraf impeached, and some have vowed to pursue treason charges against the former general.

Even critics concede that the emergency has worked for Musharraf -- at least in the short term. At the time of the announcement last month, the Supreme Court was hearing a challenge to Musharraf's eligibility to serve another term as president. Many, including members of Musharraf's inner circle, expected the court to rule against him.

Now the court is packed with Musharraf loyalists, who have already given the president their blessing for a term that would last until 2012. The opposition, meanwhile, has been unable to mount a united front to challenge him.

But analysts say the emergency could still haunt Musharraf down the line.

"In the narrow sense, it has been successful for him," said Talat Masood, a retired general and political analyst. "But in the long term, it has damaged him immensely. He has lost his popularity. He has lost his credibility. People are not going to accept him, except under duress."