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| 2007 Pakistani state of emergency | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2007 Pakistani state of emergency |
| Date | 3 November 2007 – 15 December 2007 |
| Location | Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar |
| Participants | Pervez Musharraf, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani Armed Forces, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League (N), lawyers, civil society |
| Casualties | arrests, detentions, censorship, dismissals |
2007 Pakistani state of emergency was a period of suspended constitutional rule in Pakistan proclaimed on 3 November 2007 by President Pervez Musharraf combining emergency powers and a Provisional Constitutional Order, provoking mass protests, a judicial standoff, and international condemnation. The proclamation targeted the Supreme Court of Pakistan and senior jurists, triggering mobilization by the Lawyers' Movement, opposition parties including the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), and international actors such as the United States, United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The emergency affected political actors like Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and reshaped Pakistan’s institutional dynamics and human rights landscape through detentions, media restrictions, and legal challenges.
In the months preceding 3 November 2007 tensions escalated between President Pervez Musharraf and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after the Supreme Court issued rulings that constrained executive actions, prompting confrontations involving the Pakistan Armed Forces, the Inter-Services Intelligence, and civilian institutions such as the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Civil Service of Pakistan. Political instability followed the return of exiled leaders like Benazir Bhutto and the renewed prominence of Nawaz Sharif, while violent incidents including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007 and ongoing militancy by groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and sectarian actors fed security concerns. Domestic actors such as the Pakistan Bar Council, student groups associated with All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization, and human rights organizations like Human Rights Commission of Pakistan raised alarms over constitutional erosion, while international partners including the International Crisis Group monitored the unfolding crisis.
On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf issued a Provisional Constitutional Order and declared a state of emergency, citing security threats posed by armed insurgency and judicial obstruction, invoking provisions that suspended parts of the Constitution of Pakistan and placed the country under extraordinary measures. The proclamation sought to validate extraordinary detentions and the issuance of new judicial oaths administered by the Supreme Judicial Council under altered terms, directly affecting jurists like Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and judges of the High Courts of Pakistan in Lahore, Sindh, Balochistan, and Peshawar. Legal scholars from institutions such as Punjab University Law College and advocates at the Supreme Court Bar Association contested the legality of the Provisional Constitutional Order, referencing prior constitutional crises including the 1999 coup by Pervez Musharraf and legal doctrines advanced by jurists like Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry in earlier constitutional interpretations.
The emergency prompted immediate arrests and house arrests of political figures, judges, and activists, including detentions of leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), and the removal of senior judiciary figures from courtrooms in Islamabad and Lahore. Media outlets such as Geo News, Dawn and The News International faced censorship via orders from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and clampdowns on broadcasters, while newspapers and newswires reported raids on offices associated with civil society organizations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Aurat Foundation. Security operations in major cities like Karachi and Peshawar involved the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces, and activists from the Lawyers' Movement and student wings organized protests resulting in confrontations with police and the Federal Investigation Agency.
The emergency precipitated a constitutional and institutional crisis centered on the fate of deposed judges, chief among them Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, galvanizing the Lawyers' Movement which mobilized across Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Quetta. Legal resistance included petitions lodged before the Supreme Court of Pakistan by bar associations, appeals to the International Federation for Human Rights, and mass demonstrations supported by political parties such as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and factions of the Pakistan Muslim League. High-profile legal actors including members of the Supreme Court Bar Association and human rights lawyers engaged in courtroom advocacy and street protests, while contestation over the validity of new oaths and removals brought into focus institutions like the Supreme Judicial Council and the Attorney-General for Pakistan.
Domestic political responses ranged from conditional support by segments of the National Alliance (Pakistan) to vociferous opposition from the Pakistan Peoples Party led by Asif Ali Zardari and elements of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) led by Nawaz Sharif, with rivalries exacerbated by parliamentary maneuvers and calls for restoration of constitutional order by the Parliament of Pakistan. Internationally, governments including the United States Department of State, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the European Union issued condemnations and urged restoration of constitutional processes, while multilateral bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and the World Bank monitored implications for aid and human rights. Diplomatic exchanges involved envoys from Saudi Arabia, China, and Iran, and global media attention from outlets like BBC News, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera spotlighted arrests of journalists and opposition leaders.
The emergency formally ended in mid-December 2007 but left enduring legal and political consequences: challenges to the Provisional Constitutional Order proceeded in litigations before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Pakistani bar associations, and the reinstatement battles for deposed judges culminated in decisions that reshaped judicial independence debates involving jurists such as Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and successors on the bench. Political fallout influenced subsequent electoral contests involving the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and informed security policies addressing groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Human rights groups including Amnesty International and domestic monitors documented rights violations, while legislative and constitutional scholarship at institutions such as Quaid-i-Azam University and Lahore University of Management Sciences analyzed ramifications for separation of powers and rule of law, contributing to reforms and ongoing debates in Pakistan’s political and legal landscape.
Category:2007 in Pakistan Category:Constitutional crises