http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=516336
Pakistani media slams Musharraf for imposing emergency
ISLAMABAD, NOV 4 (PTI)
Pakistani media today slammed President Pervez Musharraf for imposing
emergency on the country, describing it as the "General's second coup" which
would only "fracture an already weakened nation".
Terming Musharraf's action as his "gravest errors of judgement",
hard-hitting editorials in leading dailies said the people of Pakistan have
been cheated by the General who imposed a "half-baked" martial law against
his own government.
In its editorial, titled 'Black Saturday', 'The News' said "the imposition
of emergency rule and suspension of the 1973 Constitution announced on
Saturday is only going to destroy the very institutions that this country
crucially needs for evolving into a true democracy, particularly the
judiciary, media and Parliament".
"Furthermore, the timing of the proclamation, a few days before an expected
judgement on a case that could have potentially declared the President's
re-election null and void, is such that very few people in this country, or
overseas for that matter, will buy the argument that it has been imposed to
arrest the deteriorating law and order situation and to allow the government
to focus on fighting extremism and militancy," it said. (MORE)
"So we are back to square one. Back to Oct 12, 1999," said another leading
daily the 'Dawn' in its editorial with a headline 'Another move towards
absolutism'.
"The people have been cheated. In a nutshell, one-man rule has been
reinforced, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel -- a tunnel that
is dark and winding with an end that is perhaps blocked," it said.
The daily compared the General's action with another Pakistan's former
military ruler, saying, "In a sense this is Gen Pervez Musharraf's second
coup.
"Just as Zia ul Haq assumed all powers for himself twice -- first in 1977 in
what was a classical coup d'etat and in 1988 by using powers under article
58-2b of the Constitution -- Musharraf has followed suit with some
difference."
Questioning Musharraf's emergency move to enhance the government's
anti-terror drive, the newspaper said: "No one is going to accept what he is
going to tell us, neither the people of Pakistan nor the aid-givers."
"Can a General who does not enjoy the people's mandate really carry the
nation along and fight the terrorists alone?" it asked.
Instead, the daily concurred with its rival 'The News' in saying that the
General declared emergency anticipating "the outcome of the Supreme Court's
judgement on his right to contest the presidential election" may go against
him.
Terming as "bogus" Musharraf's earlier denials to the media not to impose
emergency, the daily said: "From now on it would simply be a waste of
newspaper space and channel time if ever a denial by this government is
printed or aired."
The media came under attack even before the emergency order was announced
yesterday evening with dozens of cable operators rounded up in the city on
the PEMRA orders.
A senior police official said they were ordered to arrest cable operators in
some areas still showing Pakistani news channels and confiscate all their
equipment.
Zulfiqar, a cable operator in Karachi's populated Nazimabad area, said
though he was released from jail after five hours his equipment had still
not been released.
"Musharaf's biggest achievement was giving so much freedom to the media but
he has made it all useless now," Zulfiqar complained.
However, there were people on the streets who felt the gag on some of the
news channels was justified.
"These channels were only airing anti-Musharaf rhetoric and making life
miserable for us with their doomsday predictions if the government didn't
change," Shazia begum, a housewife said.
"What purpose are these channels serving by showing dead bodies, human
limbs, suicide attacks and glorifying known terrorists. The height was when
they even tried to take the interview of Maulana Fazlullah in Swat," Rashid
K han, a banker said.
A newspaper editor, however, said the tide will change and Musharraf will
have to lift the restrictions on the media.
"The times have changed and in this information age you can't stop the facts
and truth from coming out," he said.
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