IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 810 

Calling for an end to the state of emergency in Pakistan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 8, 2007 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. 

DELAHUNT, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. RUSH, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. 

ELLISON, Mr. HONDA, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. WU, Mr. 

CUMMINGS, Ms. WATSON, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 

VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 

CHABOT, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, and Mr. BILIRAKIS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for an end to the state of emergency in Pakistan. 

Whereas, on November 3, 2007, Pakistani President Pervez 

Musharraf issued a ‘‘proclamation of emergency,’’ suspended Pakistan’s constitution, restricted the media, and 

reportedly made hundreds of ‘‘preventative arrests’’; 

Whereas the proclamation cites a ‘‘grave threat to the life 

and property of the citizens of Pakistan’’ posed by a 

‘‘visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks,’’ and it states that the Pakistani constitution ‘‘shall remain in abeyance’’; 


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•HRES 810 IH 

Whereas this proclamation comes as the Supreme Court of 

Pakistan was due to rule on the legality of President 

Musharraf’s reelection last month, and as President 

Musharraf was due to give up his military post this 

month; 

Whereas opposition leaders and activists have been targeted 

for detention under the emergency rule, Pakistan’s Supreme Court chief justice was dismissed after he refused 

to endorse the emergency order and labeled it ‘‘unconstitutional,’’ senior lawyers were detained, and the active 

head of the party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz 

Sharif was arrested; 

Whereas President Musharraf defended his actions as a response to a rise in extremism in Pakistan, citing militant 

violence and a judiciary which has paralyzed the government; 

Whereas the Pakistani Government initially suggested that 

parliamentary elections, due in mid-January 2008, could 

be delayed by over a year, but Prime Minister Shaukat 

Aziz stated on November 5, 2007, that the elections 

would go forward as planned; 

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated that 

the Bush administration is reviewing United States aid 

to Pakistan in the aftermath of President Musharraf’s 

proclamation; 

Whereas all non-state television stations and some radio 

channels have been taken off the air, and while independent newspapers have been allowed to continue to 

publish, the media restrictions imposed by the emergency 

proclamation severely restrict what they can report; 


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•HRES 810 IH 

Whereas President Musharraf previously pledged to resign 

from his military post, but he told foreign diplomats on 

November 5, 2007, that he would not step down as head 

of the military until ‘‘we correct these pillars in judiciary 

and the executive and the parliament’’; and 

Whereas Pakistan continues to be a key ally in the global 

struggle against terrorism, with Pakistan’s strategically 

important location and the support of President 

Musharraf playing a decisive role in helping to remove 

the Taliban regime from Afghanistan, and Pakistan capturing hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses its opposition to the declaration of 

3 a state of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf 

4 and calls for a return to constitutional order; 

5 (2) strongly urges the Government of Pakistan 

6 to ensure that elections are held in January 2008, 

7 as scheduled, and are not delayed by the emergency 

8 proclamation and calls on the Election Commission 

9 of Pakistan to take the basic steps needed to ensure 

10 that these elections are free and fair; 

11 (3) calls for security for the Pakistan’s opposi12 tion leaders, including former Prime Minister 

13 Benazir Bhutto; 

14 (4) urges the Government of Pakistan to imme15 diately release those individuals who are being de16 tained without being charged; 


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•HRES 810 IH 

1 (5) calls for the immediate restoration of Paki2 stan’s independent judiciary, including reinstating 

3 Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, ending the practice 

4 of arbitrary arrest and detention, and allowing sus5 pects customary access to lawyers; 

6 (6) calls on the Government of Pakistan to end 

7 media restrictions, including bans on non-state tele8 vision and radio stations and limitations on what 

9 independent newspapers can print; 

10 (7) calls for the President of the United States, 

11 the Department of State, and the United States 

12 Agency for International Development to review 

13 United States aid to Pakistan in the aftermath of 

14 President Musharaff’s proclamation; 

15 (8) calls for the administration to make aid to 

16 Pakistan conditional on the protection of human and 

17 constitutional rights during this state of emergency; 

18 (9) strongly supports the protection of human 

19 rights in Pakistan; and 

20 (10) calls for the appointment of a diplomatic 

21 team, comprised of high-ranking representatives of 

22 the Department of State and the Department of De23 fense, along with the appointment of a Presidential 

24 Special Envoy for Pakistan, to engage in detailed 

25 negotiations with President Musharraf and other 


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•HRES 810 IH 

1 Pakistani leaders on the restoration of constitutional 

2 order, democracy, and civil rights. 

Æ 


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