Washington, Nov 10 : Coming down heavily on the Musharraf regime, US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, has introduced a legislation in the House of Representatives urging the Pakistan Government to revoke the emergency.
Lee, who is also member of the Congressional House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs, said, “My resolution calls for the House of Representatives to express its opposition to the declaration of emergency by President General Pervez Musharraf.”

“It calls for a return to constitutional order and urges the Pakistani Government to hold its elections in January 2008 as originally scheduled,” the Daily Times quoted her, as saying.

Expressing her concern about the safety of the people of Pakistan, Supreme Court officials, and members of the judicial courts including Pakistani lawyers, Lee said they continue to clash with government officials in ongoing protests in the region.

“My bill calls for the immediate restoration of Pakistan’s independent judiciary, including the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the end of the practice of arbitrary arrest and detention, and allowing lawyers access to those detained. It also calls for Musharraf to lift restrictions on the nation’s media and news outlets,” she said.

Calling the Bush Administration to make aid to Pakistan conditional, she said, “We must send a clear message to the world that the United States remains committed to upholding human rights around the globe.”

She said as co-chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, “I recognise Pakistan as a great ally against the war on terror.”

She, however, said that the recent political upheaval combined with the constraints of the emergency has greatly hampered its effectiveness in fighting against “terrorism that is the real enemy of Pakistan.”

“It is critical to understand that political instability in Pakistan greatly affects our national security in the US. This is why the US needs to get involved and should immediately dispatch a special envoy for the sake of the Pakistani people and the global community,” she added.