Stop threats to SC, HRW asks Govt

ISLAMABAD—The Pakistani government should end attempts to intimidate the country’s Supreme Court as it hears legal challenges to General Pervez Musharraf’s controversial October 6 re-election, said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.
“The Bush administration’s continued support for a coup-maker holding onto office by his fingernails is pushing Pakistan into a growing crisis,” said Adams. “The question now is whether the US, Britain or Pakistan’s other allies will insist upon the rule of law in Pakistan or be seen by Pakistanis as supporters of an abusive military strongman,” he added.
Citing example of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Sher Afgan Khan Niazi statement on October 16: “The imposition of martial law can’t be ruled out if the Supreme Court decides that President Musharraf’s re-election is invalid,” Adams said that government ministers have repeatedly said that should the Supreme Court rule Musharraf’s election illegal, the military could suspend the constitution, impose martial law and fire the judges.
Adams asked Musharraf to publicly state that he will accept the decision of the Supreme Court and withdraw the threat of martial law. “The government is attempting to frighten the judiciary into submission and is holding Pakistan, its constitution and its people hostage to Musharraf’s desire to cling to power,” he added.
Musharraf seems to be giving the Pakistani people an impossible choice: ‘democracy’ if he succeeds in his bid to stay in power or martial law if the judiciary tries to prevent him from remaining in office,” said Adams. After eight years of military rule, Pakistan needs legitimate parliamentary and presidential elections to get back on the path to genuine democratic rule, said the Human Rights Watch Director.
He said, “President Musharraf has arbitrarily amended the Pakistani constitution to empower the presidency, sideline and weaken elected representatives, and formalize the role of the army in governance.” Since the 1999 coup, “the military has enjoyed impunity for abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and the persecution of political opponents, he added. Human Rights Watch also called on Musharraf’s international supporters, particularly the US and UK governments, to urge an immediate return to constitutional civilian rule.
Pakistan’s government is attempting to “frighten” the Supreme Court as it hears crucial challenges against President Pervez Musharraf’s election win, a rights group said. Government ministers have repeatedly warned that martial law could be imposed, the constitution suspended and judges fired if the court rules against Musharraf’s win in this month’s controversial poll, Human Rights Watch said.

—Agencies