 ISLAMABAD - President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that his emergency rule had saved Pakistan, as he addressed the nation just hours after repealing it in the face of fierce criticism at home and abroad.
In a televised speech that underlined what he said was his central role in bringing democracy to the nuclear-armed Islamic nation, the president also vowed that elections next month would be ”absolutely fair”.
| "As fair as any election has ever been in Pakistan!" |
Musharraf, who lifted the order earlier Saturday, said he had imposed it as a last resort because the country, a key part of the US-led international “war on terror”, faced a serious threat of militant violence. “Against my will and as a last resort, I imposed emergency rule and saved Pakistan from destabilisation,” he said. “It was inevitable, in my view, and that is why I imposed it,” said Musharraf, wearing a sombre black tunic in the pre-recorded announcement.
“The wave of terrorism and militancy has been stopped under the emergency and there has been considerable improvement in the overall situation,” he said.
| Tell that to the folks in Swat. |
The main opposition leader, former premier Benazir Bhutto, added to the pressure on Musharraf on Saturday, accusing him of trying to rig the election -- a charge the president flatly rejected. “I give this commitment to the people of Pakistan and to the world outside that the elections are going to be absolutely fair and transparent,” he said. “Some political leaders are talking about rigging when the elections take place on January 8. They are talking about this rigging when the campaign has not yet started,” he said. “This is totally baseless.”
Late Friday, Musharraf authorised a raft of last-minute amendments to the constitution -- including one to block the next parliament from challenging the legality of the emergency order or trying to undo its provisions.
| Really does inspire a country's democratic tendencies, doesn't it. |
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