PAKISTAN: Pakistan court clears way for President Pervez Musharraf's second term

Pakistan's Supreme Court clears the way for Musharraf's re-election, while lawyers and judges loyal to deposed Chief Justice strew flowers on road leading to his house. Opposition leader Imran Khan calls for a boycott of the upcoming elections. Security was tight in Islamabad and all roads leading to the Pakistan's Supreme Court were barricaded on Thursday (November 22) as the apex court heard the last challenge to President Pervez Musharraf re-election. A little after midday local time, the Supreme Court, stacked with judges friendly to Musharraf, threw out the final challenge to his re-election and paved the way for him to quit as army chief. The long-awaited ruling comes as Musharraf faces the prospect of Pakistan's second suspension from the Commonwealth since he took power in a bloodless 1999 coup, because he continues to resist calls to fully lift emergency rule imposed on November 3. "Dismissed," Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar said after hearing the petition, the sixth and final challenge to Musharraf's October 6 re-election to be thrown out by the court. One of the government's top legal advisers, Waseem Sajjad, told official media there was now no legal obstacle to his re-election. "Now that all the petitions have been dismissed, there is no impediment in issuing the notification for the president's election. All the issues that were relevant to the presidential elections have been decided. Now it is up to the federal government to issue the notification; there is no bar from the side of the court any more," Sajjad told Pakistan Television Attorney General Malik Qayyum said before the ruling he expected Musharraf to be sworn in for a second term by the weekend or immediately thereafter. Musharraf's top legal adviser, Sharifuddin Pirzada, said there was now no legal obstacle to his re-election. Musharraf has repeatedly promised to relinquish his army post and be sworn in as a civilian leader for a second five-year term in what he calls a transition to civilian-led democracy once his re-election had been endorsed by the court. Amid fears the Supreme Court would rule against him on the re-election challenges, Musharraf declared emergency rule nearly three weeks ago, suspended the constitution, sacked the chief justice and purged the court, installing more amenable judges. The move drew widespread international condemnation. Many of the judges and leading lawyers who represented the strongest challenge to Musharraf's authority are still in prison or under house arrest. On the second consecutive day, some lawyers and judges loyal to the sacked chief justice, bearing bouquets and sacks full of rose petals, tried to make their way to his house where he is under detention. They were joined by dozens of human rights activists and civil society members chanting anti-Musharraf slogans. They were stopped by hundreds of policemen blocking the roads leading to the judges colony. "Insha Allah (God willing) none of us is afraid of being arrested or baton charged. We are prepared to be baton charged, or to be arrested but we will not give up this struggle. We categorically refuse to give up," said a human rights activist. Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan told a news conference on Thursday that they would recommend to the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) during its meeting on Saturday (November 25) "to boycott upcoming general elections". Meanwhile, at what started as a meeting of scores of journalists in front of the GEO building to protest against the closure of the private television channel by the Pakistan government turned into a street theatre as popular GEO comperes play-acted their programmes on the street to the delight of hundreds of people. Hundreds of policemen stood in amused silence as actors imitate President Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Chants of "Go, Musharraf, go!" turned to full throated cries of "Imran, your suppporters are countless!" as cricketer turned politician, released from jail a day earlier, arrived on the scene. Khan was released on Wednesday (November 22), days after he was detained during a round-up of thousands of opponents of President Pervez Musharraf. He was arrested last week after trying to start a student uprising against Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule. "There is a conspiracy going on against us," Khan told the crowd. "These announcements that emergency will be lifted; and that if General Musharraf doffs his uniform, everything will become alright, we do not accept this." Musharraf has started to roll back the emergency, freeing around 5,000 lawyers, opposition and rights activists detained in a round-up of opponents. Many of the judges and leading lawyers who represented the strongest challenge to Musharraf's authority are still in prison or under house arrest.

ITN Source | November 23, 2007

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