Just before midnight on November 3, President Pervez Musharraf went on television and declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. “My dear brothers and sisters,” he said, “[our nation] stands at a dangerous crossroads.” Terrorism and extremism are ripping the country apart, he said, but there is a far more fundamental and immediate threat: lawyers and judges. Thousands of people have brought actions challenging the legality of police and military actions, he said, and the law enforcement agencies were “demoralized” as a result. The only solution was for the general to assume total authority.
And then the general switched from his native Urdu to English. His closing remarks were intended not for his fellow citizens but to our friends in the United States.” He told his audience that he was inspired by Abraham Lincoln to assume dictatorial powers and declare emergency rule. He quoted Lincoln’s 1864 question: “Was it possible to lose the nation and yet preserve the Constitution?”
