Musharraf, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and pledged to step down as military chief and become a civilian president this year, declared a state of emergency Saturday night, saying he acted in response to rising Islamic extremism in the country.
But most Pakistanis and foreign diplomats believe General Musharraf's decision was aimed at preventing the Supreme Court from invalidating his reelection by parliament on October 6 while he was still the army chief.
The Supreme Court previously said the official election results would only be announced after a complaint from two opposition candidates had been considered. The complaint said Musharraf had no right to be reelected as he had retained the post of Army commander.
The United States and other Western nations condemned Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule in the country.
