Pakistan's Bhutto Prepares 'Long March' Against Emergency Rule
By VOA News
12 November 2007
Opposition calls for an end to emergency rule in Pakistan grew louder Monday as former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto prepared a 300-kilometer protest tour against President Pervez Musharraf.
Ms. Bhutto plans to start her protest caravan Tuesday in Lahore and end it in the capital, Islamabad. The demonstration is being held to pressure General Musharraf to restore the constitution and resign as army chief of staff.
Ms. Bhutto told reporters Monday she has ruled out further power sharing talks with General Musharraf as long as emergency rule is in place.
The United States has quietly backed power-sharing negotiations between Ms. Bhutto and President Musharraf as a way to bolster moderate forces against extremists.
On Sunday, President Musharraf said parliamentary elections will be held by January ninth. He would not say when emergency rule would end.
Pakistani opposition parties said Tuesday the election will be meaningless if held under a state of emergency.
General Musharraf also said he would step down as army chief and be sworn in as a civilan president as soon as the Supreme Court made rulings on legal challenges to his October election victory. The old Supreme Court was disbanded under his emergency declaration.
The president has said the judiciary was hampering the battle against militants and interfering with governance.
But his critics say his main goal was to stop the Supreme Court from ruling against his October re-election by a parliament dominated by his supporters.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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