Musharraf imposes emergency

Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Saturday, deploying troops and sacking a top judge in a bid to reassert his flagging authority against political rivals and Islamist militants.

Pakistan's internal security has deteriorated sharply in recent months with a wave of suicide attacks by Al Qaida-inspired militants, including one that killed 139 people.

State-run Pakistan Television said Musharraf had suspended the constitution and declared an emergency, ending weeks of speculation that the general who seized power in a 1999 coup might impose emergency rule or martial law.

The United States, which sees Musharraf as a crucial ally against Al Qaida in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, had earlier urged him to resist taking any authoritarian measures.

Witnesses said troops were deployed at Pakistan Television and radio stations, and most phone lines were down. Other troops sealed off the thoroughfare where the presidency building, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court are located.

Television channels said that Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, whose earlier dismissal in March marked the beginning of a slide in Musharraf's popularity, had been told that his services were "no longer required".

Chaudhry had been reinstated in July.

Musharraf had been awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on whether he was eligible to run for re-election last month while still army chief. The court had said on Friday it would reconvene on Monday and try to finish the case quickly.

Meanwhile, former Pakistani premier Benazir
Bhutto landed in Karachi from Dubai after Musharraf declared a state of emergency , a member of her Pakistan People's Party told reporters.