JURIST - Paper Chase: Pakistan PCO amended to allow presidential revocation of emergency

[JURIST] General Pervez Musharraf [official website; JURIST news archive] Thursday amended [amendment text] the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) [text] issued under the country's declaration of emergency rule on November 3 to allow the country's president to revoke the state of emergency. The original PCO was issued by Musharraf in capacity as head of the military, but Musharraf said earlier this week that he expected to resign that position [JURIST report] by the end of the month, retaining his presidential post. On Friday Pakistani Attorney General Malik Qayyum said that Musharraf wanted to reserve the power of lifting the state of emergency since he was the one to impose it. Qayyum also said he expected the state of emergency would be lifted within two months, which would carry it beyond the anticipated date of parliamentary elections. Dawn has more.

Former Pakistani prime ministers Benazir Bhutto [personal website] and Nawaz Sharif [BBC profile] both slammed the amendment as portending a lengthy period of emergency. Dawn has more.

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