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Group Vows To Nullify Musharraf's Amendments

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By PAUL ALEXANDER, The Associated Press

Published: December 17, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A key opposition group vowed Sunday to try to undo amendments President Pervez Musharraf made to the constitution before lifting emergency rule, changes critics say will keep a tight lid on dissent.

Musharraf lifted a six-week-old state of emergency Saturday, telling a skeptical nation the crackdown was to save Pakistan from a conspiracy rather than ensure his own political survival.

But Musharraf entrenched limits he imposed under the emergency, including strict curbs on press freedom and the replacement of independent-minded judges with jurists friendlier to the U.S.-backed leader. Opponents have said the changes set the stage for parliamentary elections next month to be rigged, and have threatened to hold mass demonstrations.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will seek to use the new legislature to reverse the amendments, said party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq.

Haq said the state of emergency "will leave a bitter legacy" long after Musharraf leaves office. He insisted the Jan. 8 elections will be rigged, saying Musharraf used the emergency to stack the Supreme Court with hand-picked judges.

On Friday, Musharraf removed a condition from the constitution stating that civil servants, including army officers, had to wait two years after their retirement before running for elected office, Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said.

Musharraf stepped down as army chief only last month. Removing the provision in question eliminated one of the grounds used to challenge his October re-election.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, another leading government opponent, dismissed Musharraf's claim that opposition parties were raising fraud allegations in anticipation of losing the elections. She said the election commission and many local officials involved in the balloting have partisan ties to the ruling party and are working to foster a hung Parliament that would help the current coalition remain in power.

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