Britain urges Pakistan to roll back emergency rule

By Our Special Correspondent

LONDON, Nov 7: Describing the situation in Pakistan as dangerous, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in a detailed statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday urged Islamabad in effect to roll back the emergency rule.

In an unusually lengthy statement, full of warnings couched in diplomatic language, Mr Miliband said he had made clear Britain’s concerns on the telephone to Prime Minister Aziz and Foreign Minister Kasuri, as well as Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif “and indicated what actions we now expect the government to take”.

Specifically, he said his government called on Islamabad to implement the necessary conditions to guarantee free and fair elections on schedule in January; release all political prisoners, including members of the judiciary and human rights activists, and pursue energetically reconciliation with the political opposition; honour the president’s commitment to step down as Chief of Army Staff by 15 November; and relax restrictions on the media, including the BBC.

“I have been in touch with European counterparts from France, Germany and Portugal. I have spoken to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and to Javier Solana, the EU’s High Representative,” he said.

He pointed out that the situation also raised important issues for the Commonwealth. “We look forward to a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group next Monday in London, at which the situation in Pakistan is an agenda item. Leaders will also have the chance to discuss the issue at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda later this month.”

He said the friends of Pakistan knew this was a critical time and “I acknowledge that this is particularly worrying for the British citizens of Pakistani heritage and the Pakistani community resident in the UK but it matters to us all. We hope they will recognise our actions and that they too will also use their contacts through family and business to make the case for democracy and the rule of law.”

Besides imposing the state of emergency, he said President Musharraf had issued ordinances to tighten up regulations for print and electronic media, forbidding them from criticising the head of state, military or judiciary, showing bodies of suicide bombers or their victims or broadcasting anything “prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order”.

He said another effect of the PCO had been to suspend all the Supreme Court judges pending their taking a new oath of allegiance.“We understand that fewer than half of the present bench of nineteen judges have taken the new oath. The former Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and fourteen of his colleagues have been dismissed,” he added.

He said the actions by Islamabad since the weekend had set back the process of democratic transition which was “essential for the future stability and security as well as for the sustainable development of Pakistan.”

“We also need to work closely with Pakistan in promoting stability in the wider region, not least in Afghanistan, and in tackling a range of serious issues such as proliferation, drugs, migration and the environment,” he said.




Dawn 8/Nov/07