Country in grave turmoil: President
—Says judiciary overstepped its limits; militants, terrorists roaming brazenly
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday declared that the state of emergency was imposed in the country to safeguard the national interests and counter growing terrorism and the downward trend of economy. Addressing the nation on radio and television, he said Pakistan today was standing at cross roads and the time has come to take hard decisions.
“If we don’t take those decisions then there is a grave danger to the solidarity and security of the country,” he added. He said that he has taken the decision of emergency as his guiding principal has always been “Pakistan first”. “My guiding principal has always been Pakistan first. I am sure the whole nation thinks on similar pattern.”
President Musharraf said terrorism and extremism had reached its pinnacle and the incidents of suicide attacks throughout the country had increased manifold. “These extremists were roaming around freely in the country while the law enforcing agencies have become demoralised creating concern among the general public,” he added.
These elements, he said, were forcibly trying to impose the extremist and backward views of Islam on otherwise moderate people of Pakistan which is a direct challenge to the security of Pakistan.
President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday proclaimed a state of emergency in the country terming “visible ascendancy in activities of extremists” and “increasing interference by some members of judiciary” and announced holding the Constitution in abeyance. A Proclamation of Emergency order released this evening by the orders of Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf The order came after a meeting with the Prime Minister, Governors of four provinces, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chiefs of the armed forces, Vice Chief of Army Staff and Corps Commanders. The two page proclamation that came into force at once states that banning of some militant groups took terrorist activities to an unprecedented level of “violent intensity” posing a grave threat to the life and property of the citizens of Pakistan.
The order says that emergency has been imposed in the wake of suicide bombings, explosions of Improvised Explosive Devices, rocket firing and bomb explosions, besides a spate of attacks on State infrastructure and on law enforcement agencies.