Islamabad: Key fundamental rights, including freedom of the press, were suspended and political activities banned under the Emergency imposed on Saturday by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and the promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order by him.
The provisional constitution order suspended Articles 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 25 of the Constitution relating to the freedom of movement and Assembly and freedom of speech and the press, political activities and security of a person, safeguards for arrest and detention.
The suspension of Article 15 will affect the freedom of movement while suspension of Articles 16 and 17 will affect the freedom of assembly, the freedom to form associations and the freedom to join political activities. The suspension of Article 19 will curtail the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press.
The suspension of Article 9 will give sweeping powers to security agencies to detain persons while the suspension of Article 10 will allow them to arrest persons without filing charges.
Law enforcement agencies will also not be required to produce arrested persons before a magistrate within 24 hours.
The suspension of Article 10 will also allow the government to frame laws for preventive detention of persons and such detentions will also no longer be subject to judicial review.
Hours after the imposition of Emergency, all Pakistani and foreign TV news channels were blacked out.
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