Musharraf Move Seen As Sign of Weakness

Pakistan military ruler President Gen. Pervez Musharraf addresses a news conference in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in this February 2, 2007, file photo. Embattled President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government may impose a state of emergency due to "external and internal threats" and deteriorating law and order in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border, a spokesman said Thursday August 9, 2007. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash, FILE) (B.k.bangash - AP)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Gen. Pervez Musharraf backed away Thursday from imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan that would have drastically curtailed freedoms.

The decision came after strong opposition from critics in and out of government. That Musharraf was even considering such an idea was seen as a sign of weakness from the embattled leader as he seeks re-election for another five-year term.

Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has come under increasing pressure from forces at home to restore full democracy, and rising U.S. criticism to do more to stop the Taliban and al-Qaida from regrouping in the restive border region with Afghanistan.

The combination of a series of domestic crises and a recent wave of militant violence has left Musharraf at his most vulnerable yet as the country heads toward a presidential vote this fall and parliamentary elections due by early next year.

He has tried a range of strategies to win his battles against militants and in politics.

After a peace deal with Taliban militants failed, he ordered troops back into the border region and an army raid on Islamabad's radical Red Mosque _ pleasing his Western allies but stirring more violence at home.

On the political front, his bungled attempt to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry drew thousands of protesters into the streets and raised calls for democracy. That has thrown into serious doubt his bid to win another presidential term while he still holds his post as army chief.

Musharraf recently held talks with exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on a possible power-sharing deal. But the outcome remains unclear and he appears in no mood to reconcile with Nawaz Sharif, another exiled premier.

Analysts say the talk of a state of emergency is a sign desperation is creeping in.

"Nothing seems to be working for him," said political analyst Talat Masood. Declaring a state of emergency "is his weapon of last resort. But it would be a weapon of mass destruction, of mass political destruction."

"I don't see any prospects for him," agreed Rasul Bakhsh Rais, professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences. By considering the imposition of a state of emergency, Musharraf had shown he was struggling hold power by normal political means.

"He's riding a rudderless ship in the middle of a political storm," Rais said.