Musharraf rejects state of emergency rule

President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday decided against imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan, a senior government official told AFP."The president has rejected the suggestions to declare a state of emergency as proposed by his political allies," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Private television channels meanwhile quoted the leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as ruling out the possibility of emergency rule.President Musharraf met on Thursday morning with senior political aides to discuss whether or not to impose emergency rule, prompted by escalating security concerns and political instability in the country.Earlier, government sources had said the president was reluctant to impose an emergency but that he had been under pressure from key aides to do so.Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem had said that emergency rule had come under consideration because of "internal and external threats".The president had been considering imposing emergency rule since Tuesday, when he met Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other senior aides, the official sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.President Musharraf is under pressure on many fronts, facing growing discontent with the autocratic nature of his government as well as an upsurge in militant violence in volatile tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.Among concerns raised at Tuesday's meeting were the deteriorating security situation in North Waziristan, which have become staging posts for Taliban and al Qaeda operatives, and threats by US officials and presidential hopefuls to take unilateral military action against the militant bases, the sources said.President Musharraf's aides had argued that Pakistan cannot afford further instability, especially with the capital's security already breached since security forces raided Lal Masjid that had been taken over by radicals.The July 15 operation at the Lal Masjid, which resulted in more than 100 deaths, was followed within days by a suicide attack at a political rally that claimed 15 lives.But emergency rule could have further exacerbated discontent, as it would automatically have extended the tenure of the current parliament for one year, derailing national elections that are scheduled for early in 2008.