General elections cannot be held while emergency is in force: PBC
By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) condemning President Gen Pervez Musharraf's refusal to lift the emergency said there cannot be any general elections while emergency is in force and the Constitution is suspended
The available members of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), presided over by their Vice-Chairman Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, met to discuss the current situation created by unconstitutional acts of General Musharraf including imposition of martial law, emergency, PCO, suspension of Constitution and detention of judges of the superior courts.
The PBC in its meeting rejected all the announcements made by General Musharraf at a press conference held recently. It condemned his refusal to lift the emergency and restore the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the judges who refused to take unconstitutional oath under the so called PCO.
There cannot be any general elections while emergency in force and the Constitution is suspended, the members resolved. The first and foremost demand of the lawyers is restoration of the real and constitutional Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief Justices of Sindh High Court and Peshawar High Court and other judges of the superior courts who refused to take oath under unconstitutional PCO. PBC also demands immediate lifting of emergency and revocation of PCO and removal of PCO judges, the members said.
PBC is of the firm opinion that no free and fair elections can be held while General Musharraf is in power. PBC thereof calls upon Musharraf to quit on 15th November, 2007 on the completion of his term under Article 41(7) of the Constitution and hand over the office of President to the Senate Chairman Muhammad Mian Soomro who should then form a caretaker government at the centre in consultation with all political parties.
General Musharraf and his Governors have no right to appoint caretaker governments because their appointees would be instrumental in rigging the election for the sake of Musharraf regime. All the provincial Governors should quit before the appointment of caretaker government, it said.
The PBC demanded holding of free and fair elections and that spineless Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (R) Kazi Muhammad Farooq be removed and an impartial CEC, who is a man of integrity, be appointed in his place and that the Election Commission be reconstituted. The PBC also demanded that all the lawyers who have been arrested and detained should be released forthwith and all the F.I.R's and detention orders against them be immediately withdrawn.