Sends Out A "Crucial" Message For Pakistan
In a move unprecedented in Pakistan's 62-year-old history, the Supreme Court summoned former president Pervez Musharraf to explain his November 2007 decision to suspend the constitution, impose emergency rule in the country and fire all the top judges. The notice requires Musharraf to either appear in person or through counsel on July 29, 2009.
The development has historic significance in a country where Martial Law has been imposed four times, each one accompanied by a nod from a submissive Supreme Court. The court's order could also possibly be the first step towards a one-of-a-kind trial against a former military ruler.
Musharraf seized power in a 1999 military coup and served as an indispensable ally to the Bush administration following the Sept 11 attacks. Despite facing immense criticism at home for his role in the War on Terror, news of the court order stirred little U.S. reaction. U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, when questioned by the media during his visit to Pakistan, showed indifference towards the former U.S. ally.
The News, a widely-read national newspaper reported:
Faced with security threats, Musharraf currently resides in London. He has already contacted lawyers for consultation, local newspapers reported.
Still, considering Musharraf's time in power was marked by polarized camps of staunch loyalists defending him in the name of national security on the one hand and angry lawyers accusing him of violating the constitution on the other, news of the summons also provoked similar extreme reactions from ordinary citizens.
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