The vast majority of Pakistanis met the lifting of emergency rule by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf this weekend with a mystified silence. In a speech to the nation on Saturday night, Musharraf argued that imposing emergency rule last month was necessary to “protect democracy”. In Orwellian doublespeak, Musharraf described in his speech why his actions – which in large part amounted to locking up thousands of lawyers, judges, journalists and civil society activists – was vital to protect democracy against the threat posed by terrorists.
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