By IANS
Lahore : The possible first casualty of emergency in Pakistan could be fundamental rights as guaranteed by the constitution, said newspaper reports as the prospect looms large in the country.
According to The News, a Pakistani daily, the proclamation of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf would seize the rights of the judiciary to take cognisance of any action defying fundamental rights.
Article 19 of the constitution, guaranteeing every citizen the right to freedom of expression, could be suspended too – which would have a fallout on the media.
If emergency is imposed, even the movement of Pakistan citizens would be restricted. Nobody would be allowed to assemble and the right to form associations or unions would be suspended.
All political parties would be subject to restrictions as well.
The government could even shelve the right to housing and public facilities and services such as roads, water supply, sewerage, gas and electric power, the newspaper reported.
Articles 232 to 235 of the Pakistan constitution deal with emergency. Quoting experts, the newspaper said that Article 233 deals with the power to suspend fundamental rights during the period of emergency.
According to the Article 233: “Nothing contained in articles 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 24 shall, while a proclamation of emergency is in force, restrict the power of the state as defined in Article 7 to make any law or to take any executive action which it would, but for the provisions in the said articles, be competent to make or to take, but any law so made shall to the extent of the incompetence, cease to have effect, and shall be deemed to have been repealed, at the time when the proclamation is revoked or has ceased to be in force.”