President Musharraf’s decision to lift state of emergency fails to deal with a weakened judiciary and leaves country open to human rights violations

Amnesty International today described Pakistan’s decision to lift the State of Emergency tomorrow as inadequate and “fundamentally flawed”.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, explained:

“The lifting of the measures imposed by President Musharraf are insufficient and leave the country’s constitution fundamentally flawed. It does nothing to address the serious concerns we have – human rights violations will continue to go unchecked.

“Key changes made under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) during the State of Emergency will become permanent, including the removal of key independent judges who have pursued a human rights agenda.

“The power of the Supreme Court will remain severely weakened, denying it any judicial review over President Musharraf’s orders or his Government’s actions during the emergency.

“Amnesty International is demanding that the superior court judges removed from service under the PCO are reinstated and an independent judiciary is allowed to fulfil its critical role in the protection of human rights and the rule of law.”