Source:
Associated PressMusharraf move seen as sign of weaknessBy ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf backed away Thursday from imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan that would have drastically curtailed freedoms.
The decision came after strong opposition from critics in and out of government. That Musharraf was even considering such an idea was seen as a sign of weakness from the embattled leader as he seeks re-election for another five-year term.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has come under increasing pressure from forces at home to restore full democracy, and rising U.S. criticism to do more to stop the Taliban and al-Qaida from regrouping in the restive border region with Afghanistan.
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Analysts say the talk of a state of emergency is a sign desperation is creeping in.
"Nothing seems to be working for him," said political analyst Talat Masood. Declaring a state of emergency "is his weapon of last resort. But it would be a weapon of mass destruction, of mass political destruction." "I don't see any prospects for him," agreed Rasul Bakhsh Rais, professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences. By considering the imposition of a state of emergency, Musharraf had shown he was struggling hold power by normal political means. "He's riding a rudderless ship in the middle of a political storm".
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