Sharif prepared to return to country

Dubai: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said yesterday he was not afraid of returning to Pakistan despite the imposition of emergency in the country.

Speaking to Gulf News, Sharif, who was deported from the country when he tried to return from exile in September, said: "No one can stop me from going back to my country. We are closely watching the chaotic situation."

Strongly condemning the state of emergency, which he termed martial law, Sharif said it was a defining movement in Pakistan. "All the patriotic people and democratic forces in the country should join hands to launch a decisive campaign against General Pervez Musharraf to save the country from the clutches of a dictator," he said. He called it a severe blow for democracy, the judiciary and the media.

He added that he would not mind the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) joining the struggle, but they would have to break their ties with Musharraf. "We can work with the PPP but only after they part ways with the military dictator," he said.

Joint campaign

Sharif and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had agreed on a Charter of Democracy for a joint campaign for restoration of democracy but later Bhutto parted ways with him and went to Pakistan under a "deal" with Musharraf.

The chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who is currently in Saudi Arabia after being sent into exile for the second time despite the Supreme Court's permission for a return from exile, said that his party would strongly resist the emergency.

Speaking to Gulf News, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, Information Secretary of the PML-N said that more than 100 PML-N leaders had been arrested and that he was also in hiding. "My house was also raided and I don't know when I will be arrested," he said.

Iqbal noted that Musharraf had imposed "martial law" because he felt insecure about his own seat.

He said the situation was very uncertain and it was the first time that a military dictator had imposed martial law against his own government. He also strongly condemned curbs on the media.

Meanwhile, police and paramilitary soldiers yesterday set up barricades and unrolled coils of barbed wire to block access to the parliament, presidential residence and Supreme Court buildings.

The security forces fanned out nearby and set up posts near the state-run radio headquarters, television stations and luxury hotels. Shops were open but traffic was thin and markets were quiet.

In Islamabad, the phone service that was cut on Saturday evening appeared to have been restored by yesterday morning. But television news networks other than the state-controlled Pakistan TV remained off the air.

Otherwise streets in the capital appeared calm, with only a handful of demonstrations. One demonstration, attended by 40 people at the Marriott Hotel, was broken up by baton-wielding police.

"Shame on you! Go Musharraf go!" the protesters shouted.

PPP to resist imposition of emergency

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will strongly resist the imposition of emergency in the country, said a senior PPP leader.

Raja Pervez Ashraf, Secretary General of the PPP Parliamentarians, the electoral arm of the PPP, told Gulf News that Musharraf has blocked the reconciliation process by imposing emergency. "We are very disappointed because we all were heading for a smooth transition to democracy when he acted, creating complete uncertainty in the country," he said.

Ashraf believed that Musharraf was ill-advised.

He said that the PPP would resist the emergency and it would not hesitate to use its street power if necessary.

"We wanted elections on a level playing field and were negotiating for free and fair elections but it seems that everything has been put on hold. We are watching the situation and the leadership will come out with its strategy soon," he said.

Regarding Benazir Bhutto's public meeting in Rawalpindi, Ashraf said that the meeting had not yet been cancelled.