the NDA scoundrels fight among themselves,.......
Dipy:
U ain't seen nothing yet in pakistan. Heads will start rolling. What happens in India will be a Sunday picnic U hear.
SLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Army Chief Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf
declared himself Pakistan's supreme leader today, suspending the constitution, dissolving the legislature and declaring a state of emergency days after toppling the elected civilian government.
``The whole of Pakistan will come under the control of the armed forces of Pakistan,' said a proclamation issued early today.
The announcement, coming three days after Musharraf ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup, seemed to dash any hope of an early return to democracy.
The proclamation, broadcast on national television, said the country's figurehead president would remain in office, but be subservient to the army chief. Provincial and federal legislators were dismissed, along with senior government ministers and the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.
An Indian (formerly) Chief
While courts will continue to function, they will not be able to challenge the army chief's position as chief executive or the state of emergency.
The loot in the boot (bank) frozen
The State Bank of Pakistan issued a statement freezing the accounts of all Pakistan's lawmakers and their spouses. The order simply said they were frozen ``until further notice.'
I ain't talking to U
In New Delhi, India's Foreign Office said today that bilateral talks between the two neighbors cannot resume immediately because Pakistan is effectively under martial law.
The decision to impose full army control followed two days of behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the army chief, who was trying to get Parliament to vote Sharif out, according to intelligence sources in the capital of Islamabad and in the eastern Punjab capital of Lahore.
Within hours of the army chief's proclamation, military officers were taking over key positions in Pakistan's four provinces. Official military statements
carried in newspapers said army rule was ``temporary,' but there was no indication of when it might be lifted or how.
Mushhead turns a deaf ear
The imposition of unfettered army rule came despite international appeals for a restoration of constitutional democracy.
U.S. officials have been urging a return to democracy, and U.S. Ambassador William Milam, who had been in Washington this week, was to return to Pakistan today and would be meeting with the general later in the day.
Foley on the folly of Mushhead
``He will be passing the message that the United States continues to believe that there should be a prompt return to civilian rule and a restoration of the democratic process in Pakistan,' said State Department spokesman James Foley.
Despite international concerns, Tuesday's coup has had little impact on the average citizen in the impoverished country. The public has generally welcomed the ouster of an unpopular prime minister, and few have called for quick elections.
Sharif, who was elected two years ago by a wide majority, quickly antagonized the public in repeated confrontations with other institutions of government.
Butt out
Since taking office, he forced the resignations of the nation's president, the head of its Supreme Court and several top military commanders. He also pressed corruption charges against his predecessor and main rival, Benazir
Bhutto, who fled the country.
Pakistanis, who have been ruled by the army for 25 of their nation's 52-year history, have come to expect that the military will keep civilian rulers in line or throw them out.
On Thursday, Irfan Siddiqi, a spokesman for Pakistan's president, said the general was seeking to restore civilian rule.
But in an ominous sign, troops sealed off the parliament building Thursday, throwing out staffers and a few lawmakers. Before the coup that deposed Sharif's government, parliament had been slated to meet today.
``They just told us to leave,' and provided no explanation, said one worker who refused to give his name. Soldiers had closed down parliament the night of the coup but later allowed workers back in.
IMF dangles a $1.6 billion carrot in front of Mushhead
In addition to international condemnation of the coup, the International Monetary Fund has suspended a $1.6 billion loan to Pakistan to press its demand for a return to democracy.
Economists say Pakistan's battered economy can ill-afford further delays in international funding. Its foreign reserves are roughly $1.5 billion, enough to cover only two months of imports.
Tuesday's coup was prompted when Sharif dismissed Musharraf -- with whom he had been in constant conflict -- while the general was on a visit to Sri Lanka, and ordered that the plane bringing him home not be allowed to land in Pakistan.
Army troops swung into action, seizing the control tower, then moving swiftly to surround Sharif's residence and key public buildings.
Murder plot
The military has since launched an investigation, calling the order to divert the plane a ``murder plot' that could have cost the lives of all 200 people on board.
The coup capped months of growing army resentment against the premier for backing away from the fight over Kashmir, a territory claimed by both India and Pakistan. President Clinton pressured Sharif into persuading
Pakistan-allied Islamic fighters to withdraw, reportedly outraging and humiliating army leaders.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars in 52 years, and both conducted nuclear tests last year.
Despite the coup, Indian officials said Thursday they would honor a promise to refrain from further tests.
Washington played down concerns about the coup's effect on Pakistan's nuclear program, since it has always been under the military's control. |
