[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 810 Introduced in House (IH)]







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. Sanchez 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'';
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;
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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses its opposition to the declaration of a state 
        of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf and calls for a 
        return to constitutional order;
            (2) strongly urges the Government of Pakistan to ensure 
        that elections are held in January 2008, as scheduled, and are 
        not delayed by the emergency proclamation and calls on the 
        Election Commission of Pakistan to take the basic steps needed 
        to ensure that these elections are free and fair;
            (3) calls for security for the Pakistan's opposition 
        leaders, including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto;
            (4) urges the Government of Pakistan to immediately release 
        those individuals who are being detained without being charged;
            (5) calls for the immediate restoration of Pakistan's 
        independent judiciary, including reinstating Chief Justice 
        Iftikhar Chaudhry, ending the practice of arbitrary arrest and 
        detention, and allowing suspects customary access to lawyers;
            (6) calls on the Government of Pakistan to end media 
        restrictions, including bans on non-state television and radio 
        stations and limitations on what independent newspapers can 
        print;
            (7) calls for the President of the United States, the 
        Department of State, and the United States Agency for 
        International Development to review United States aid to 
        Pakistan in the aftermath of President Musharaff's 
        proclamation;
            (8) calls for the administration to make aid to Pakistan 
        conditional on the protection of human and constitutional 
        rights during this state of emergency;
            (9) strongly supports the protection of human rights in 
        Pakistan; and
            (10) calls for the appointment of a diplomatic team, 
        comprised of high-ranking representatives of the Department of 
        State and the Department of Defense, along with the appointment 
        of a Presidential Special Envoy for Pakistan, to engage in 
        detailed negotiations with President Musharraf and other 
        Pakistani leaders on the restoration of constitutional order, 
        democracy, and civil rights.
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