Pakistan Emergency 2007 · Global Voices

This page is no longer updated: See the Global Voices Special Coverage page on the Assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
On 3rd Nov 2007, the President of Pakistan and Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf declared a state of Emergency in the country. The government issued a Provisional Constitutional Order. Even as the Army stormed the Supreme Court in Islamabad, and detained Chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhry, the seriousness of the issue escalated as private television channels were taken off air, local phones were blocked and access to the Internet was curtailed.
Bloggers in Pakistan responded to the situation, even as criticizing the government or mobilizing action could pose a risk to their personal safety. This is not the first time bloggers in the country have voiced disapproval. Previously, when the government had blocked access to blogs hosted on Blogger.com, an active online initiative called “Don't Block the Blog” was launched. The Emergency in Pakistan comes at a time when attacks on civilians in the country have escalated, one of the most recent ones being the bomb blasts in Karachi.
Global Voices Timeline
Dec 27 – RIP: Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan
Nov 08 – Pakistan: Student Protests, Police and the Underground Life
Nov 08 – Pakistan: A Middle Eastern Perspective
Nov 07 – Pakistan: Stability, Activism and the Emergency
Nov 06 – Pakistan: All Martial and No Law
Nov 05 – Global Voices Special Coverage on Pakistan Emergency
Nov 05 – Pakistan: Media, Reactions and the Emergency
Nov 03 – State of Emergency in Pakistan
Nov 03 – Pakistan: Emergency Declared – No News, No Internet.
Download a copy (PDF format) of The Emergency Telegraph, an informational booklet produced by independent student activists at Emergency Times. It's a handbook for activists on how to deal with the media blackout.