Inside Pakistan as Troops Hit the Streets
Political tumult, but for many ordinary people, life goes on.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 3, 2007 — -- The declaration of emergency came quietly.
We were driving around the streets of Islamabad at dusk, when a small number of police began gathering outside government buildings and at a few key checkpoints.
Within hours those numbers would grow. When the declaration was madeofficial, hundreds of police in riot gear gathered in front of PresidentPervez Musharraf's palace, the parliament building and the SupremeCourt.
Steel and cement barriers were hastily put in place outside thebuildings, independent local media outlets and major hotels. Once thepolice were in place, we watched several hundred paramilitary forcesoutside the palace disappear into a tree lined area leading up to thepalace. Those forces would be called in if police were unable to handlethe situation.
But very few civilians gathered outside the buildings: Life in the city seemed quite normal. Shops were open, and traffic was moving. People seemed oblivious to what was happening.
We were in an incredibly unique position watching this unfold. I hadlong planned to accompany Adm. William Fallon, who is the head ofCentral Command, on a trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan this week. Andhe had long planned meetings with President Pervez Musharraf. No one hadany idea when the trip was scheduled that this would be the weekend thatMusharraf would declare a state of emergency.
On Friday, I had ascheduled interview with Adm. Fallon after his meeting, but when theadmiral returned from his meetings, it was clear that the session hadgone far longer than planned and that things had not gone well.
Fallon warned Musharraf not to make a declaration of emergency, butMusharraf told the admiral he was going ahead with it anyway.
Fallon, it turned out, was the last U.S. official to meet with Musharraf before thedeclaration. But other U.S. officials had been trying to talk Musharrafout of it as well.
Fallon continued on with his prepared schedule. On Friday night, heattended a dinner with the newly named Army chief, Gen. Ashfaq PervezKiyani, and senior officers at Army headquarters.
