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Add an EventPakistan to impose 'emergency rule'
Pakistan's embattled president may impose a state of emergency in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border, a minister says. Tariq Azim, the minister of state for information, said on Thursday: "I cannot say that it will be tonight, tomorrow or later. We hope that it does not happen. "But we are going through difficult circumstances so the possibility of an emergency cannot be ruled out." An aide to the president said Pervez Musharraf was to meet cabinet ministers, the attorney-general and ruling party leaders on Thursday to discuss whether an emergency should be declared. He did not expect a declaration of an emergency in the early hours of Thursday. Read More
Tariq Azeem conceded that the issue was being discussed, as Pakistani TV channels reported that a declaration state of emergency was imminent.
An emergency would limit the role of the courts, restrict civil liberties and curb freedom of expression.
Earlier, Pakistan's president said he would not attend a tribal council in Afghanistan on combating the Taleban.
General Pervez Musharraf pulled out of the three-day council, or jirga, citing commitments in Islamabad.
Gen Musharraf faces a volatile political and security situation after a siege at a radical Islamabad mosque and protests by lawyers angry at the sacking of the country's chief justice.
Opposition to Mr Musharraf's rule has also increased.
"The possibility of the enforcement of emergency, like other possibilities, is under discussion," Information Minster Tariq Azeem said, although he said an emergency might not eventually be declared.
He admitted US threats to launch an operation in the tribal areas and the recent targeting of Chinese nationals had played a role in the issue being discussed.
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