Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will lift emergency rule Saturday, but only after changing Pakistan's constitution to ensure he cannot be challenged in court, a senior official said Thursday.
Musharraf suspended the constitution Nov. 3 and declared a state of emergency. He also fired unfriendly Supreme Court justices and jailed thousands of political opponents.
Musharraf said he acted to prevent political chaos and to give authorities a freer hand against Islamic militants, though critics accuse him of making a power grab before the previous Supreme Court judges could declare his continued rule illegal.
Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum told The Associated Press that Musharraf has acknowledged that he breached the constitution. Qayyum said legal experts are amending the charter to protect Musharraf's decisions from legal challenges. The changes are scheduled to be made public before emergency rule is lifted this weekend.
"The president will lift the emergency to restore the constitution and the fundamental rights," he said.
Warning to Media Outlets
Qayyum's comments came a day after Information Minister Nisar Memon rejected claims that the government was trying to stifle the media ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists accused the government Wednesday of attempting to silence the media by ordering TV stations to stop airing live coverage of political debate.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority issued a letter Tuesday, addressed to all satellite TV channels, saying some were still airing live coverage and taking live telephone calls that "contain baseless propaganda against Pakistan and incite people to violence."
The letter warned that the channels could be taken off the air and those responsible jailed for up to three years and fined up to $170,000.
"Every one of us in Pakistan should share the responsibility and work for betterment of the country by keeping the environment conducive for the polls," Memon said.
Vocal Opposition
The threat could dissuade networks from covering fiery speeches of opposition leaders such as Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, two former prime ministers who recently returned from years of living in exile.
Both Bhutto and Sharif have hit the campaign trail this week after abandoning threats to boycott the Jan. 8 elections.
Addressing hundreds of backers near the eastern city of Sialkot on Wednesday, Sharif urged people to reject candidates from the pro-Musharraf ruling party.
"I want to eliminate dictatorship, and I cannot achieve this goal without your support," Sharif said.
Bhutto repeated accusations that Musharraf will use police, judiciary officials and administration functionaries to cheat. She urged them not to comply.
The media crackdown adds to concerns over whether the elections, meant to restore democracy after eight years of military-dominated rule under Musharraf, can be free and fair, although the president has repeatedly said that he would ensure "a level playing field" for all.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, stepped down as army chief last month, meeting a key demand of the opposition and his foreign backers.
He was sworn in as a civilian to begin a new five-year presidential term after the Supreme Court, shorn of independent-minded judges under the emergency, dismissed challenges to the legality of his victory in an October presidential election.
From NPR reports and The Associated Press
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