Pakistan opposition seeks united response

Pakistan's opposition politicians are trying to work out a united response to the emergency rule imposed by President General Pervez Musharraf.Gen Musharraf insisted he had made the move in the country's best interests but it has led to hundreds of protestors being jailed.US president George W Bush has urged him to lift the measure and hold elections.Security on the streets of Islamabad remained high as people gathered at newspaper stands to get the latest conditions of emergency rule.Gen Musharraf had been holding talks with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the pair were widely expected to agree to lead a power-sharing arrangement after elections scheduled for January.But with the constitution suspended, authorities have detained thousands of opposition activists, lawyers and human rights workers, put a stranglehold on the media and suggested the election could be delayed by up to a year.Ms Bhutto said Gen Musharraf's actions were a "breach of trust" with her and that the talks were off.And her party vowed to hold a rally near the Pakistani capital to protest against the emergency rule, despite threats from officials to crush it by force.Meanwhile, a video statement by former cricket star and outspoken Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan has emerged, in which he strongly condemns the emergency rule which has forced him into hiding.In the video, which was filmed at a secret location after he escaped from house arrest, Mr Khan said: "He is not ready to accept the verdict the Supreme Court was going to pass against him."At no cost is he willing to accept that verdict, because General Pervez Musharraf does not want to leave power."Gen Musharraf, who has been promising democracy since seizing power in a 1999 coup, suspended the constitution on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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ITN | November 7, 2007

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