Commonwealth calls for urgent talks on Pakistan

The Commonwealth said on Tuesday it had called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the state of emergency in Pakistan, talks which could in theory result in the country's suspension.

Secretary-General Don McKinnon has convened a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group at the organisation's Marlborough House headquarters in London on Monday.

CMAG deals with serious or persistent violations of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values. The last emergency meeting was called in December 2006 following the military coup in Fiji, and the Pacific nation was swiftly suspended from the 53-member group.

Commonwealth sources indicated that the meeting would not have been called were the organisation not seriously concerned about the situation in Pakistan. London, Wednesday, AFP

Bhutto ups pressure

Meanwhile former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto was to hold crisis talks with other opposition leaders Wednesday over the nation's state of emergency, turning the screw on President Pervez Musharraf.

She flew to the capital Islamabad from her Karachi base to discuss whether to join a protest movement against the military ruler, led by lawyers and the country's ousted chief justice.

Imran Khan accuses US of complicity

The United States is complicit in President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of a state of emergency, opposition leader Imran Khan said Tuesday in an e-mail from hiding that was published in Britain. Writing from a secret location, the former Pakistan cricket captain said the army general's regime was using "sheer force" against lawyers, human rights groups and political activists and throwing opposition leaders in jail.

Ousted CJ urges uprising

Pakistan's deposed chief justice urged people to "rise up" against President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule Tuesday, as the government ignored a global outcry and cracked down on fresh protests.

Sacked top judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry called on his countrymen to save the constitution, prompting authorities to sever mobile phone coverage in parts of Islamabad as he addressed a meeting of lawyers by telephone.

Islamabad, Wednesday, AFP