2007 Pakistani state of emergency

A state of emergency was declared by President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on 3 November 2007 which lasted until 15 December 2007, during which the Constitution of Pakistan was suspended.^[1][2] When the state of emergency was declared, Musharraf controversially held both positions of President and Chief of Army Staff. He later resigned as army chief 25 days into the emergency on 28 November.^[3] The state of emergency and its responses are generally attributed to the controversies surrounding the re-election of Musharraf during the presidential election on 6 October 2007, including his holding of both offices of President and Chief of Army Staff at the time.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry reacted promptly to the emergency declaration, convening a seven-member bench which issued an interim order against this action. He also directed the armed forces of Pakistan not to obey any illegal orders.^[4] Subsequently, the 111th Brigade of the Pakistan Army entered the Supreme Court of Pakistan Building and removed Chaudhry and several other judges from the premises and arrested them.

It was announced early that the state of emergency would likely end in late November or early December 2007.^[5] After being sworn in for a second presidential term on 29 November 2007, Musharraf immediately declared that the state of emergency would end on 16 December 2007,^[6] although the emergency actually ended one day earlier, on 15 December 2007, with an announcement by Musharraf.^[7]

The general election previously scheduled to occur in early January 2008 was postponed. At the beginning of the emergency, Information Minister Tariq Azim Khan said on television that the general election could be delayed many months and perhaps up to a year.^[8] Later, the election was rescheduled to take place by 15 February 2008, as announced by Musharraf himself.^[9] A few days later he called for the election date to be on or before 9 January 2008,^[10] before a final date of 8 January 2008, was decided. However, because of unforeseen events that occurred after the state of emergency ended, primarily the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and its aftermath, the general elections were again postponed by the Election Commission, and were finally held on 18 February 2008.^[11]

This article is part of a series about Pervez Musharraf
Early life Military career 1999 coup d'état Political career High treason case Political views Enlightened moderation Elections Referendum 2004 2007 Parties PML (Q) All Pakistan Muslim League President of Pakistan Seventeenth Amendment Suspension of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Siege of Lal Masjid National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007 state of emergency Impeachment movement Bibliography In the Line of Fire: A Memoir Media related to Pervez Musharraf at Wikimedia Commons
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