Pakistan Link : APDM meeting continues to decide on boycotting elections

APDM meeting continues to decide on boycotting elections

December 9, 2007

LAHORE: The meeting of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) continues in Lahore Sunday under the chairmanship of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and is expected to make a decision on whether to boycott January 8 polls, party officials said.

Present in the meeting are Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Raja Zafarul Haq, Dr. Qadir Magsi, Ehsan Wayne, Mehmud Achakzai, Prof. Sajid Mir, Abid Hasan Manto and others.

Talking with media before the meeting, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that the restoration of the judges is our fundamental demand and we will not make any compromise on it.

Imran Khan said that he would full pressure on the APDM leadership for bocotting the elections.

APDM component parties say that free and fair elections were not possible under the hand-picked judiciary and emergency rule imposed by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3.

The attorney general has said that emergency rule would be lifted on December 15.

But opposition parties accuse the election commission of being biased and say that it could not hold free and transparent polls.

Courtesy TheNews

Reuters : Bhutto betrays Pakistan by running in poll - Imran Khan

Bhutto betrays Pakistan by running in poll - Imran Khan

By Simon Gardner | December 1, 2007

LAHORE (Reuters) - Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is betraying Pakistan by not joining an election boycott that cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said on Saturday was key to ousting President Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto says she is still open to the possibility of joining an array of opposition parties shunning January's general election to protest Musharraf's emergency rule and purging of the Supreme Court to safeguard his presidency.

But she has also kicked into campaign mode, unveiling a manifesto on Friday that woos the poor with promises of jobs, housing and healthcare, and analysts expect her to run.

"It is a complete case of betrayal," Khan told Reuters in an interview after addressing chanting lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore furious at the removal of the Supreme Court bench.

"Every day she says there is pre-poll rigging, every day she says there can't be free and fair elections. She says she doesn't trust the caretakers, she says the emergency is illegal...And yet she is participating and legitimising the whole process."

Opponents of Musharraf say they can discredit the vote if they unite in a wholesale boycott but distrust prevents them cooperating. Some calculate they might exert more pressure on Musharraf by besting his political allies in parliament.

Khan's own party Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice), is small, but he has joined opposition leaders, including two-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in pushing for a boycott.

His party has not registered to run in the election while Sharif's and Bhutto's have.

"We want the whole (election) process to be discredited," Khan added. "To participate...is just playing on his pitch to save him. We are just giving him a lifeline."

Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup and founded his own party with Islamic overtones a decade ago. He said the boycott would isolate Musharraf and edge him from power.

"If all the opposition got together today, the elections would be discredited, then he's gone, because he's no longer head of the army. He's gone! So then we have free and fair elections and hope for the future."

Khan was among thousands of opponents and lawyers Musharraf rounded up and detained after he imposed emergency rule on Nov.3. He escaped initial house arrest and was then caught after a failed bid to start a student uprising.

He was charged under anti-terror laws, but laughs it off.

"There's a law of the jungle here!" he said.

Khan says President George W. Bush's backing for Musharraf, regarded as a valued U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda, is compounding Pakistan's problems.

"If they do not ask for the reinstatement of the judges, they are playing Musharraf's game. Basically the impression is George Bush's administration does not want an independent judiciary, because then they won't be able to control the government like a puppet supposedly to fight their war on terror."

"This movement eventually will turn against the U.S. too, like the Iranian revolution."

© Reuters 2007 All rights reserved

Pakistan Times : Imran Khan reacts to Fazal-ur-Rehman’s Stance

Imran Khan reacts to Fazal-ur-Rehman’s Stance

'Pakistan Times' Political Desk | December 1, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Tehrek-e-Insaf Imran Khan Friday strongly reacting to Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s statement wherein he has said that Nawaz Sharif has been taken hostage by letterhead parties said had the PTI adopted same approach as Maulana did, it would have got sufficient share in the government.

In a telephonic interview, he said that everybody knows the parties like JUIF are alive with the support of agencies and establishment.

The PTI Chairman also criticized Pakistan Peoples Party and Mutahidda Qoumi Movement saying they are furthering the western agenda in making way towards the power corridor.

To a question he said the manifesto of PTI stands for independent judiciary and it strongly demands for restoration of pre-November 3, position of the superior judiciary.

He said in the prevailing circumstances it would be a violation by its own constitution if the PTI opts to participate in the election.

To another question the PTI Chairman said that he had committed a mistake by supporting President Pervez Musharraf in the presidential referendum in past.

The News : BB should lead opposition, says Imran

BB should lead opposition, says Imran

By Zubair Azam | December 1, 2007

LAHORE -- Imran Khan has urged Benazir Bhutto and Maulana Fazlur Rehman to take active role in restoration of judiciary by endorsing APDM’s call for boycotting the 2008 general elections.

Addressing a student convention at Ichhra on Friday, the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said the APDM’s polls boycott call has a single point agenda of restoring judiciary to pre-emergency status. He asked the prominent opposition leaders who have shown eagerness to contests the polls, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to unite with APDM on this point. He also said Benazir Bhutto is scared of reopening of cases against her if she boycotted the polls.

“At this crucial juncture, she should lead the opposition,” Imran asserted. He vowed to back Benazir if the government reopened cases against her for seeking political vendetta. Around 1,000 students attended the convention. They belonged to Punjab University (PU), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), FAST-National University and others. Imran has called the moot for galvanising student support for the judiciary’s independence movement. Speaking at the occasion, he stressed upon the role of an independent judiciary for rule of law in the country. He paid glowing tributes to the apex court judges’ who had refused to take oath under the PCO. He said President Musharraf had targeted the sole instrument that provided justice to the people.

“Without an independent judiciary, this country has no future, the PTI chief claimed. He urged the students to support this movement, which aims restoring the judiciary. He stressed that the intention was not to launch a student wing of PTI but only to mobilise students and youth in the struggle. “I do not want students to politicise themselves,” he observed. Imran Khan added the youth had played a pivotal role in every revolution in the country.

For any movement to succeed, the participation of students is vital, he also said. Commenting on the Punjab University episode where he was thrashed by IJT members before handing him over to the police, Imran stated such incidents would not deter his resolve or confidence in the students. He lauded the surge of activism within students for restoration of democracy and judiciary.

The PU incident had not deterred him from the cause of saving judiciary, he claimed. He called the judges who took oath under PCO as PCO judges.

Daily Times : Students should unite for Pakistan’s sake: Imran Khan

Students should unite for Pakistan’s sake: Imran Khan

* Hundreds at students’ convention demand a free judiciary

Staff Report | December 1, 2007

LAHORE: Students of the country should gather on one platform for the country’s sake, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said at a students’ convention at the PTI office in Ichhra on Friday.

A couple of hundred students of various educational institutions of the city including the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), FAST-National University and the Punjab University (PU), had gathered at the PTI office for the convention. The convention aimed at gathering student support for the judiciary’s independence and the lifting of the emergency.

Khan said he had not called the students to launch a students’ wing of his party, but to mobilise them in the ongoing struggle for the judiciary’s freedom. He said the student’s participation in the movement was pivotal for success.

The PTI chief said that incidents like the one when members of the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) manhandled him in the PU and handed him over to the police would neither deter his resolve nor his confidence in the students’ power.

He said the All Parties Democratic Movement’s (APDM) call to boycott the coming elections had a one-point agenda of restoring the judiciary to its pre-emergency status. He urged the opposition leaders who had expressed willingness to contest the elections to unite with the APDM for this purpose.

Khan praised the deposed judges for not taking oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). He also stressed the role of an independent judiciary for the rule of law in the country. “Without an independent judiciary, the country has no future.” He said the judges, who had taken oath under the PCO, were holding offices they did not deserve.

Many students also made speeches at the convention and expressed support for Khan.

IJT stops PU students: Some students of the PU told Daily Times on Friday that IJT activists had stopped many students of the varsity from participating in the convention.

Ali Shah, a PU student, said IJT workers had stopped hundreds of PU students standing at bus stops from boarding buses heading towards Ichhra. He said the IJT workers also beat several bus drivers for stopping buses at the stops despite their signals not to.

PU IJT media secretary Imran Kiyani said the IJT had not stopped anyone and termed the allegation baseless. He said that after the Friday prayers, all IJT workers had been at an IJT protest against the emergency.

APP : Imran reacts to Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s statement

Imran reacts to Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s statement

November 30, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Nov 30 (APP): Chairman Tehrek-e-Insaf Imran Khan Friday strongly reacting to Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s statement wherein he has said that Nawaz Sharif has been taken hostage by letterhead parties said had the PTI adopted same approach as Maulana did, it would have got sufficient share in the government.

In a telephonic interview to PTV he said that everybody knows the parties like JUIF are alive with the support of agencies and establishment.

The PTI Chairman also criticized Pakistan Peoples Party and Mutahidda Qoumi Movement saying they are furthering the western agenda in making way towards the power corridor.

To a question he said the manifesto of PTI stands for independent judiciary and it strongly demands for restoration of pre-November 3, position of the superior judiciary.

He said in the prevailing circumstances it would be a violation by its own constitution if the PTI opts to participate in the election.

To another question the PTI Chairman said that he had committed a mistake by supporting President Pervez Musharraf in the presidential referendum in past.

Frontier Post : Imran remarks on poll rigging

Imran remarks on poll rigging

November 30, 2007

MIANWALI (NNI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has said the government completed preparations to succeed Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in the upcoming polls through rigging.

In his telephonic conversation with media on Thursday, Imran Khan termed the upcoming polls in present of martial law and restrictions on media as drama and made it clear that the opposition would not accept it in the present circumstance.

The PTI Chairman said it is better time to reject the holding of forthcoming elections in the supervision of military dictator to clarify it on the US and European Union that the political parties could not contest polls in the presence of emergency and dictator.

The News : Taking the right line

Taking the right line

By Dr Masooda Bano | November 30, 2007

Finally, the General has shed his uniform but not his ambition to stay on in power. As General Musharraf takes the oath of the civil president, the problems with his presidency are all the more obvious. What legitimacy does a president have who has been elected by an outgoing parliament -- a parliament whose credibility remained contested till the end? The ball is now in the court of the political parties, do they validate this system, which has no legitimacy or do they continue the struggle for the restoration of the constitution and the re-instatement of the pre-emergency judges as a condition to join the elections. The choice should clearly be the latter. The signs from PPP are mixed. But, if Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan stick to this demand as they are doing right now, if nothing else they will fully expose the ideology bankruptcy of PPP's leadership.

How can Benazir or the top PPP's ranks not be clear that the reinstatement of the judges must be made the top priority in deciding on whether or not to participate in the elections? An independent judiciary is the key to genuine institutional reforms in Pakistan. The billions of dollars taken in development aid and loans in the past seven years for so called institutional reforms have delivered nothing. But, a home-grown lawyers movement, run not though paid development professionals but the personal sacrifices of the lawyers and the judges has provided Pakistan the historical opportunity for a genuine institutional reform: a leadership among judges has emerged at the Supreme as well as the High Court which has agreed to live up to certain principles rather act as a rubber stamp to the decisions of the executive and the army. If the Pakistanis fail to seize this historical opportunity for institutional reform after coming so close to it we are indeed a sad nation.

It is therefore heartening to see Nawaz Sharif living up to people's expectations. His clear position on the demand for reinstatement of pre-emergency judges is most promising. He should rest assured that he will become more prominent a leader if he sticks to this demand. It is interesting how so many of us who in the 1990s, were on the PPP's side and viewed Nawaz Sharif as a product of the military are now disgusted with the PPP's behaviour. There is clear consensus that while Nawaz Sharif over time groomed himself, Benazir on the other hand lost her democratic credentials. Even now to think that the struggle for reinstatement of judges is threatened because the PPP is not willing to prioritise it and boycott the elections is pathetic. The PPP should be the party out in the streets with this demand. Yet, the PPP is the party right now, which is the biggest hurdle in the way of this demand. What could be sadder?

Given that Benazir has been very open in her association with the US since this summer, it is difficult to know why exactly she is so reluctant to ask for reinstatement of the judges. Is it that like Musharraf she wants a tamed judiciary rather than an independent one if she was to be elected? Is it that the negotiators of her deals in the US are telling her that they want the pre-emergency judges kept out of the system so that they can keep pursuing any kind of illegal action in the name of war on terror in Pakistan, with no institution left where the aggrieved could ask for justice. After all, the missing peoples' cases prioritised by Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry have been put on the back burner under the new set up? Or is it that she worries about the fate of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which closed the corruption cases against her, if judged by independent judges. Needless to say, whatever the cause, it is not impressive.

It is critical that General (r) Musharraf's civilian attire does not lead to a culmination of the lawyers' movement and weakening of public demand for re-instatement of the judges. It is a clear success of the lawyers' movement that weakened General Musharraf control to the point that eventually he had to concede to the demand of giving up his uniform. This should make bolder not weaken the struggle for independence of judiciary. People should rally behind the political figures like Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, which are very clear in their demand for reinstatement of judges. We all know that Imran Khan has shown the character to stand for his principles whether or not people come out to support the cause, so we can be sure he will be there to lead this demand in coming weeks. Nawaz Sharif has built much credibility too by staying steady in his critique of the military government and prioritising the demand for the reinstatement of judges, but given that his is a bigger party, with higher pressure to bear, it is important that people should express their support for this demand to keep him committed to it.

Meanwhile, in the US, concerns are being expressed about Nawaz Sharif not being a liberal like Benazir and for not giving US full assurance to fight its war on terror in Pakistan. Apparently for the US, liberalism in Pakistan means following the US dictates even if it means killing civilians through aerial bombings. It is high time that the US administration understands that the way to fight terrorism does not rest in the use of force. Pakistan is not a militant nation. The underlying causes of militancy in Pakistan can only be addressed through negotiations and establishment of a just society, and that is why the reinstatement of pre-emergency judges should be a priority. Much of the current resistance in Pakistan is of a reactionary nature. If democratic channels exist to channel this dissent, the militancy will come down.

The writer is undertaking post-doctoral research at Oxford University. Email: mb294@hotmail.com

Pakistan Times : PTI against participation in Elections: Imran Khan

PTI against participation in Elections: Imran Khan

'Pakistan Times' Political Desk | November 30, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan said his party was against taking part in the forthcoming general elections under the existing conditions. “This would have been the first election that PTI would have fought while being properly prepared, but we have decided to boycott it and urge other parties not to participate if the pre-Nov 3 position is not restored,” he told a news conference.

He said PTI would not go for elections even if all political parties decided to contest the polls. The PTI chief said the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) had taken a principled stance to boycott the upcoming general elections if held under emergency. Imran hoped former premier Nawaz Sharif, who returned home Sunday after seven years of exile, would also not contest the elections.

He urged politicians to demonstrate maturity and avoid indulging in debate before restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary. To a question about filing of nomination papers by opposition political leaders, Imran said they were doing because of misunderstanding.

The Post : Judiciary, not polls, more important: Imran

Judiciary, not polls, more important: Imran

November 26, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, has appealed to all politicians to show maturity at the political front as the judiciary, for the first time in national history, makes a sacrifice for the rule of law as well as democracy.

Indulging in the political issues before the restoration of judiciary, it could be disastrous and the judges issue especially sacrifices could be disappeared from the current scenario, he told a private news channel on Sunday. "Submitting nomination papers is equal to accepting the Provisional Constitutional Order and the deposing of the judiciary," he said. "If all opposition parties are participating in the so-called elections, PTI will stand on its decision of boycotting the polls," he added.

The cricketer-turned politician said that the game plan of holding the general elections under the state of emergency was ready, and the caretaker administration was a part of that plan.

BBC : Imran Khan begins hunger strike

Imran Khan begins hunger strike

By Chris Morris | BBC News, Islamabad | November 19, 2007

Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan - who has been imprisoned under Pakistan's state of emergency - has begun a hunger strike, his family says.

Hafizullah Khan said his cousin Imran was in good spirits in a prison in southern Punjab but would be taking no food or water for an indefinite period.

The former cricketer is demanding the restoration of the constitution.

He also wants the reinstatement of judges who have been sacked since the state of emergency was declared.

According to his family, Imran Khan is being kept in solitary confinement after being charged under anti-terrorism legislation.

General Pervez Musharraf - who imposed the state of emergency more than two weeks ago - has said several times that political activists who have been arrested in the last few days will soon be released.

But that may not apply to Imran Khan because of the nature of the charges against him.

Thainidian News : Musharrafs regime is on verge of collapse, despite US involvement: Imran Khan

Musharrafs regime is on verge of collapse, despite US involvement: Imran Khan

ANI | November 20, 2007

Islamabad, Nov 20 (ANI): Cricketer-turned-politician and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan has said that the regime of President General Pervez Musharraf would not continue despite involvement by the US, and reiterated his resolve to fight against the dictatorship.

Khan, who is presently imprisoned in Dera Ghazi Khan prison under strict anti-terror laws, has reportedly started a hunger strike to press for the restoration of the constitution and reinstatement of the judges, who were deposed under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
Political vendetta and victimization of media and lawyers are the glaring examples that the rulers are on verge of collapse, he said.

Condemning an alleged incident of women and children being mistreated during a protest demonstration in Lahore, Khan said that people would continue to fight for the democracy in the country.

Our struggle is not against any party but against the enemies of the country who are perpetuating dictatorial actions in the garb of democracy, The News quoted Khan, as saying to Central Deputy Secretary Information Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed in a telephonic conversation.

He also lauded the students of Punjab University for coming out on roads to protest his detention.

Khan, who had earlier demanded death penalty to Musharraf for committing the treason by imposing emergency in the country, was arrested on November 14 after he emerged from hiding for the first time since emergency rule was imposed on November 3.

BBC : Imran Khan released from prison

Imran Khan released from prison

November 21, 2007

The Pakistan opposition politician, Imran Khan, has been released from prison in southern Punjab where he has been held under anti-terrorism laws.

The former cricketer was arrested by police last week after attending a protest at Punjab University in Lahore.

On Monday, Mr Khan began a hunger strike in protest at his detention.

He is demanding the restoration of the constitution and the reinstatement of supreme court judges who were sacked after emergency rule was declared.

Mr Khan's release comes a day after Pakistani authorities freed more than 3,000 people who were detained under emergency regulations imposed by President Pervez Musharraf on 3 November.

A spokesman for the interior ministry said many others would be released soon.

Unexpected release

A senior leader of Mr Khan's Tehrik-i-Insaf party, Omar Cheema, told the BBC that he had been released from Dera Ghazi Khan jail on Wednesday.

The prison's superintendent, Sheikh Inamur Rehman, later confirmed the release, adding that it had been carried out on the instructions of the provincial government at 1945 local time (1445 GMT).

"I personally saw him off at the prison gate," he told the AFP news agency.

The BBC's Chris Morris had travelled to the prison with three of Mr Khan's sisters earlier on Wednesday, only hours before his unexpected release.

After visiting him inside, Mr Khan's sister Allema confirmed he had eaten no food since Monday and drunk as little as 100ml of liquid over the past two days.

She said her brother appeared rather weak and that they were very concerned by his deteriorating health.

"But he chided us for showing weakness and he said we should urge the youth of Pakistan to go on a token hunger strike to press for the restoration of the judiciary," Ms Khan added.

Our correspondent says Mr Khan's family were as surprised as anyone by his release.

When 3,000 detainees were released on Monday, the Pakistani interior ministry said that anyone who had been charged would not be released anytime soon.

Mr Khan's release may therefore be partly because his detention was making waves internationally and causing embarrassment for the government, our correspondent says.

While he may not be one of the leading politicians in Pakistan, Mr Khan is a known name around the world, he adds.

Perspective From Pakistan : University of Bradford launches campaign to free Imran Khan

University of Bradford launches campaign to free Imran Khan

November 20, 2007

The University of Bradford [UK] has launched a campaign to free its Chancellor Imran Khan from imprisonment in Pakistan.

Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice) Party and a political rival of President Pervez Musharraf, was arrested and charged under anti-terrorism legislation on the 14th of November, 2007 after appearing at a rally at a university in Lahore, Pakistan.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Cleary has written to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to urge him to take action in this matter and help bring about a change in the current mindset of the Pakistani government and end the incarceration of political prisoners.

The University will be launching an online petition for people to register their opposition to the incarceration of Imran Khan.

Visit the Univeristy website here for details on how to register your opposition.

Times of India : Imran Khan on hunger strike till judges reinstated

Imran Khan on hunger strike till judges reinstated

November 20, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan will continue his hunger strike in jail till Pakistan judges deposed under the emergency are reinstated, his Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Tuesday.

Khan is currently being held in the Dera Ghazi Khan Jail in Punjab province, where he was taken shortly after he was arrested in Lahore last week.

"Our leader's hunger strike will continue till all the judges removed by President Pervez Musharraf after the imposition of emergency are restored," Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesman Ahmed Awais told reporters.

"Imran Khan was treated very badly after his arrest and detained illegally. He has started the hunger strike as he had no other option for protesting against what is happening in the country," he said.

During a meeting with his sister Aleema Khan and brother-in-law Hafeezullah Khan Niazi yesterday, the former cricket captain said "sacrifices needed to be made" to resolve Pakistan's political crisis.

Khan, who is being held in solitary confinement, has refused to eat or drink since Sunday afternoon, his family said.

"He (Imran Khan) says it doesn't matter how he is being treated. The Musharraf government needs to realise that its time is up and if it means giving his life, he is ready for it," Aleema told reporters in Dera Ghazi Khan.

"Anybody familiar with Imran knows that physical discomfort can't break his resolve. If he sets his mind to do something he doesn't rest till it is achieved," she said.

Independent : Imran Khan released with 3,000 political prisoners

Imran Khan released with 3,000 political prisoners

By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent | November 22, 2007

The former cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan was among more than 3,000 political opponents of President Pervez Musharraf released yesterday as Pakistan's government hinted the military leader could stand down as head of the armed forces within days.

Mr Khan was released from a jail in southern Punjab where he had been held since being arrested last week after appearing before students in Lahore.

Mr Khan had previously been on the run in an effort to avoid the crackdown launched by General Musharraf in the aftermath of his declaration of a state of emergency more than two weeks ago.

"We're all very relieved, especially since this means he can now end his hunger strike," his ex-wife, Jemima Khan, told the Associated Press. "He's keen to make the point that although he's free, there are many more innocent people who are still in jail... he'll now be able to protest more actively again."

On state television, the country's Law Minister, Afzal Hayder, announced that the government had freed 5,634 lawyers and political activists. He said 623 people remained in government custody and that they too would be released soon.

Meanwhile the Attorney General, Malik Mohammed Qayyum, claimed that General Musharraf would go ahead with his pledge to stand down as head of the armed forces. "It may happen on Saturday... I know the President, and he will honour his commitment," he said.

A spokesman for the Pakistan's People's Party, led by the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said that he doubted the general's claims. "President Musharraf has made such promises before the nation and the international community in the past as well, and we will comment when he actually steps down as the army chief," said Senator Farhatullah Babar.

The moves by General Musharraf follow considerable international pressure, including a face-to-face meeting with a senior envoy of the Bush administration, which has provided Pakistan with more than $11bn in aid since September 2001.

Telegraph : Imran Khan on hunger strike in prison

Imran Khan on hunger strike in prison

By Richard Holt and Duncan Hooper | November 20, 2007

The Pakistani cricket captain turned politician Imran Khan has gone on hunger strike in prison to protest against the emergency rule imposed across the country.

His spokesman said he was prepared to go "as far as it takes" to get President Pervez Musharraf to lift the de facto martial law he imposed on Nov 3.

"He is on hunger strike until the judiciary is restored to the status it was at before the imposition of emergency rule," Seth Niazi told the BBC.

"Seeing that he is now locked up in jail, there is no other way of protesting - so this is the only way and this is what he has chosen to do," he added.

Mr Khan is facing terrorism charges after being arrested last week in a crackdown on rivals by Gen Musharraf.

Mr Khan went into hiding when he escaped from house arrest imposed shortly after emergency rule was declared.

But when he appeared at a student demonstration in Lahore last week he was detained by hardline students and handed over to police, the authorities said.

Pakistan's Supreme Court, reconstituted by Gen Musharraf following the introduction of emergency rule, has dismissed the main challenges to the president's right to rule.

Fears that the court might uphold complaints that the military chief could not also hold the position of head of state, prompted Gen Musharraf to replace many of the judges including chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who remains under house arrest.

Once the court completely clears the result of the Oct 6 vote, Gen Musharraf has promised to step down as army chief and be sworn in as a civilian president as soon as possible.

Yesterday the president said he was asking the Election Commission to call a parliamentary election on January 8.

"Inshallah (God willing), the general elections in the country would be held on January 8," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted Gen Musharraf as saying. But he gave no date for lifting the state of emergency, despite pressure over the weekend from the US.

John Negroponte, the US deputy secretary of state, said that he had "urged the government to lift the state of emergency and release all political detainees", reiterating that "emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections".

However, Pakistani officials dismissed the significance of Mr Negroponte's visit, indicating that the White House had not brought to bear any threat of cutting its massive military aid.

Gen Musharraf has insisted that he would only lift emergency rule if the security situation improved, and strongly hinted that such a move was unlikely before parliamentary elections scheduled to be held by Jan 9.

He will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, the president's first foreign trip since emergency rule was imposed.

Hindustan Times : My life at great risk: Imran

My life at great risk: Imran

Vijay Dutt, Hindustan Times | November 15, 2007

After spending less than 48 hours in custody under the anti-terrorism Act, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, has sent a desperate text message, a SOS literally, to his solicitor here saying that he feared for his life.

Earlier, too, he had expressed his grave concern for his security through a text message to his UK lawyer also named Imran Khan. He warned that failure by British authorities to prosecute the key London-based ally of General Pervez Musharraf, Altaf Hussain, could lead to lethal repercussions.

Hussain was accused of a range of criminal acts, including allegedly soliciting murder and inciting violence. A dossier compiled by Khan, the London solicitor and human rights campaigner, on behalf of his namesake was handed over to Scotland Yard and an investigation was under way into allegations of money laundering. In the message, which the Independent claimed to have seen, Imran says, “Once MQM [Mr Hussain] thinks he is safe then my Karachi workers and my own life will be at great risk.”

Imran Khan had come to London a few months ago to press for the prosecution of Altaf Hussain under the UK’s anti-terror laws after gunmen opened fire on supporters of Pakistan’s sacked Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, sparking a day of violence in May in which 42 people were killed in Karachi.

It was alleged that the security forces had stood by allowing MQM members to open fire. Imran’s and other parties, lawyers and rights activists accused MQM leader of orchestrating the violence from London. But Altaf Hussain, speaking to HT then, had dismissed theses allegations as fabrications.

Telegraph : Bhutto: 'Contaminated' Musharraf must quit

Bhutto: 'Contaminated' Musharraf must quit

By Isambard Wilkinson, Pakistan Correspondent | November 14, 2007

Benazir Bhutto has demanded that President Pervez Musharraf quit office to bring an end to his "contaminated" rule of Pakistan.

After months of power-sharing talks, the former Pakistani prime minister told The Daily Telegraph that she had definitively broken off negotiations with the military ruler. "It is over with Musharraf," she said.

Speaking by telephone from her residence in Lahore, where she was earlier detained behind barbed wire and surrounded by hundreds of armed policemen to stop her leading a mass procession against emergency rule, Ms Bhutto said: "General Musharraf must quit.

"He must quit as president and as chief of army staff. I call on the international community to stop backing him.

"I would not serve as prime minister under a man who has repeatedly broken his promises, who is a dictator," she added, referring to him as "contaminated".

Her first unequivocal call for General Musharraf to resign suggested that Britain and America’s strategy for a "peaceful transition to democracy" was unravelling.

They had hoped that Ms Bhutto, who returned from eight years of self-imposed exile last month, would form a broad-based, secular government as a counter-force to growing Islamic militancy, serving as prime minister once Gen Musharraf had shed his uniform to become a civilian president.

Despite her comments, Pakistan’s tangled political web leaves all possibilities open, meaning that Ms Bhutto may have hardened her rhetoric to exert maximum pressure on the general.

When she was pressed on whether she categorically ruled out renewing talks with Gen Musharraf she explained that she had told a US diplomat in late night talks earlier this week that she doubted the general’s intentions to hold free and fair elections.

"This is a decision he has forced on me. The framework backed by the West has always been about restoring democracy. What they have backed has not happened on the ground," she said.

Police managed to prevent Ms Bhutto from leading the rally but scuffles with her supporters broke out across Pakistan, with shots reportedly in Karachi.

Her comments set off a flurry of diplomatic activity in the capital, Islamabad, as she sent the message that one of Gen Musharraf’s last supports had been kicked from underneath him.

"It will be almost impossible now for her to come to any agreement in the future with him," said a Western diplomat in the capital. "She has departed from the script."

Gen Musharraf now faces the choice of "rolling back" from the crisis by lifting the emergency or taking further autocratic steps to tighten his grip on power.

The general, who sacked the chief justice and most of the country’s most senior judges, needs to find one or two more judges to enable the Supreme Court to remove obstacles to him taking oath as president for second term perhaps later this week.

He has said that he will then step down as army chief but has so far given no indication that he will lift the emergency.

Washington is to dispatch the hard-hitting deputy secretary of state, John Negroponte, who will travel to Islamabad later this week to impress upon the general America’s dissatisfaction with his plan to hold elections unless he first lifts emergency law.

Anne Patterson, the American ambassador to Islamabad demonstrated her concern that general was vacillating over his democratic commitments: "The United States is urging your government not to throw away in weeks what it has taken years to achieve," she said.

Pakistan rejected a Commonwealth deadline to end emergency rule in 10 days or face suspension.

The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, asked if the British Government backed that call, said: "Absolutely, the Commonwealth position was one that the UK played an important part in creating."

Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1999 after Gen Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup. It was readmitted in 2004.

The exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif welcomed Ms Bhutto’s change of stance and called for a united opposition.

Questioned about Ms Bhutto’s sincerity, he replied: "I have to believe her because if we keep doubting each others intentions the cause of democracy will suffer."

Gen Musharraf was reported to be planning to visit Saudia Arabia, a key power-broker in Pakistani politics and Mr Sharif’s place of exile.

"I hope he does not come here to meet me," said Mr Sharif, who was unceremoniously deported by the general after a recent four-hour stay in Pakistan. "I am in no mood to talk to him".

Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, said he would launch a joint opposition campaign with Ms Bhutto if she agreed to boycott elections. Ms Bhutto has yet to announce such a move.

Daily Times : ‘We can’t just sit idle’: For students, a reawakening

‘We can’t just sit idle’: For students, a reawakening

Daily Times Monitor | November 13, 2007

LAHORE: An article by Emily Wax published in the Washington Post on November 12 describes accounting majors at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) as rarely demonstrating and preferring pop music to protest songs.

The report quotes these students as saying that cynicism about Pakistan’s parade of autocratic and corrupt leaders has replaced civil disobedience.

“But in computer labs and cafeterias on this campus and others across the country over the weekend, students were busy making placards reading ‘Democracy Now’ and ‘Students Against Martial Law’, as they prepared to demonstrate against emergency rule,” it says.

“With police lining the streets on Sunday, and a Bhutto rally blocked by authorities in Rawalpindi on Friday, many students say they doubt the protest will take place. But even if the long march turns into only a short protest, one thing is clear: Students are beginning to step forward in Pakistan’s protest movement,” it adds.

The report quotes Ashar Hussain, an engineering student at LUMS as saying: “We’re getting ready, no matter what. It’s time for students to show that the future generation has a voice. We can’t just sit idle and do nothing when Pakistan is suffering. This country is our future.”

According to the writer, “Student protests and campus unions were once a vibrant part of political activism in Pakistan, even during the nation’s birth, but several dictatorial governments have depoliticised campuses by banning protests and requiring students to sign agreements not to participate in such activities. Students also blame themselves. Disillusioned by a string of corrupt and repressive governments, many said, they stopped caring.”

She quotes 20-year-old architecture student Fatima Babar as saying: “It’s like all this bad stuff happens and you just go numb. Nothing will help anyway, and even our favourite films and songs became about fluffy stuff and love. This time, though, student consciousness is starting to awaken, and it feels really good.”

She says Imran Khan is one of the driving forces behind some of the student protests. “So far, there has been no violence during the student rallies. Some opposition leaders, including Imran, predicted that the government would lose sympathy among the general population if it cracked down on the students too harshly.”