Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto speaks to reporters upon her arrival at Quetta, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Musharraf revokes emergency rule in Pakistan

Updated Sat. Dec. 15 2007 9:18 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Canada says Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf's move to lift the state of emergency in his country is a positive step forward.

But Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said he would like to see the country go even further.

"We encourage the Government of Pakistan to create the conditions necessary for free and fair elections, including allowing electoral oversight by an independent judiciary, releasing all persons detained during the state of emergency, and lifting all restrictions on the media," Bernier said in a media release.

On Saturday, President Musharraf lifted the emergency rule order he imposed six weeks ago to fight a "conspiracy" involving some unnamed people and the judiciary.

"Against my will, as a last resort, I had to impose the emergency in order to save Pakistan," Musharraf said in a nationally televised address. "The conspiracy was hatched to destabilize the country. I cannot tell how much pain the nation and I suffered due to this conspiracy.

"Now the conspiracy has been foiled, and the election will be held on Jan. 8 ... in a free and fair manner."

Information Minister Nisar Memon called Saturday a historic day and said next month's parliamentary elections would mean Pakistan is back as a democracy.

"The caretaker government is under oath to hold free, fair, transparent and impartial elections to put the country back on track," Memon said.

Saeed Minhas, resident editor with the Daily Times newspaper in Islamabad, told CTV Newsnet on Saturday that Musharraf has been under great international pressure to lift the emergency declaration.

However, many fear the Jan. 8 elections will still be tainted.

"Most of the caretaker set-up people -- ministers, prime ministers, and chief ministers -- are handpicked people, and there is a very clear indication that the caretaker set up has been helping a particular party," said Sarwar Bari of the Free and Fair Election Network.

Constitution tweaked

Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3. At the time, he claimed the Islamist insurgency, coupled with a "conspiracy" by top judges to end his eight-year rule, forced the move.

Pakistan's Supreme Court had been poised to rule on whether Musharraf's re-election as president was constitutionally valid, given that he was still the army's chief.

Since his presidency has been confirmed by a new Supreme Court, Musharraf has given up his army position.

On Friday, Musharraf tweaked the constitution to remove a clause stating that civil servants had to wait two years after retirement before they could run for public office.

Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum told The Associated Press that other changes sealed the retirement of the Supreme Court judges that Musharraf purged.

Their replacements quickly approved Musharraf's election victory.

The opposition parties want the country's mayors suspended to keep them from interfering in the parliamentary elections and to have the ban lifted on anyone serving more than twice as prime minister.

Both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the two main opposition leaders, are former prime ministers.

Qayyum said Musharraf is considering the requests.

Minhas said there are also issues surrounding the independence of the country's election commission.

Similarly, the opposition wants the freedom of those individuals who were detained during the emergency rule period, including judges and lawyers, he said.

With files from The Associated Press

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