Army chief : Pakistan coup launched 'as last resort'

October 13, 1999
Web posted at: 10:01 a.m. HKT (0201 GMT)

In this story: Army moves in hours after sacking announcement Hundreds demonstrate outside television building Rift between Sharif, military over Kashmir RELATED STORIES, SITES

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani troops ousted the elected government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif "as a last resort" to save the nation from ruin, Pakistan's army chief announced early Wednesday.

Soldiers seized control of key government buildings Tuesday, took control of state-run radio and television and surrounded the prime minister's residence, placing Sharif under house arrest.

In a televised address, Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf sought to comfort worried Pakistanis, promising that the situation in the country was "calm, stable and under control."

ALSO Coup brings dramatic end to power struggle with the military U.S. caught unawares by Pakistan coup Text of Musharraf's address India worries over developments in Pakistan Main events in Pakistan's history     RESOURCES TIME: A Strongman Shaken TIME: Can't Stop the Madness TIME: Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan and India   WHO'S WHO? Get more details on these key players in our interactive profile.    VIDEO CNN's Jamie McIntyre looks at concern felt by many of Pakistan's neighbors over the country's political instability combined with its recent nuclear tests Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Wolf Blitzer looks at U.S. reaction to the coup in Pakistan Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Tim Lister looks back at the troubled history of Pakistan Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K    AUDIO Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf talks about the turmoil in Pakistan 285K/26 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Pervaiz Musharaf explains his reasons for the coup 267K/24 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto blames Prime Minister Sharif for provoking the military coup 216/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Journalist Imtiaz Gul describes the takeover 265K/24 sec. AIFF or WAV sound U.S. State Department Spokesman James Rubin reacts to the developments in Pakistan 256K/23 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Pakistan today

Musharraf accused the democratically elected government of "systematically destroying" state institutions and driving the economy toward collapse.

"You are all well aware of the kind of turmoil and uncertainty that our country has gone through in recent times," Musharraf said. "Not only have all the institutions been played around with and systematically destroyed, the economy too is in a state of collapse."

Musharraf did not provide any details on the army's plans for Pakistan, nor did he mention what would be done with Sharif.

The army made its move two hours after Sharif announced he had dismissed Musharraf and replaced him with an ally, Gen. Zia Uddin, a former head of Pakistan's secret service. Musharraf was in Sri Lanka at the time, but he quickly returned to Islamabad and immediately went into a meeting with top generals.

The army shut down Islamabad's airport and reportedly arrested Information Minister Mushahid Hussein. Troops also surrounded the home of Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz and were said to have taken over a number of other important buildings in Islamabad, Sharif's hometown of Lahore, and Karachi.

A senior U.S. official told CNN that Musharraf seemed to be in "de facto control" of Pakistan.

After the television building in Islamabad was seized, hundreds of Pakistanis gathered in the street outside, singing, "Long live the army."

International phone lines out of the capital were cut, while television began broadcasting nationalistic songs and footage of Pakistani troops and heavy armor in parades. A bank holiday was declared for Wednesday, apparently to prevent a run on the currency.

In Lahore, soldiers in jeeps and trucks took up positions on the main road and at government buildings as people celebrated and waved colored flags. There also were reports that army trucks were moving toward the airport in Lahore, the Punjab provincial capital.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a longtime rival of Sharif, blamed the premier for provoking the crisis.

"It's a very sad day in Pakistan's history," she told CNN. "I'm awfully disturbed today. I feared this moment would arrive and I asked Mr. Sharif to resign to save civilian society in Pakistan. However, he clung onto power even though the people had risen against him and today's rash action of sacking Musharraf ... precipitated this martial law," she said.

Rumors of a military coup had been rife since Sharif's decision to order militants to withdraw this summer from Indian territory in the Kargil region of disputed Kashmir. The move ended a bitter two-month border dispute with India, but prompted demonstrations calling for Sharif's resignation.

Sharif's order apparently began a rift between the prime minister and Musharraf, who had reportedly been involved in organizing the incursion into Indian territory.

The summer border dispute in Kashmir nearly erupted into full-scale war between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India. The two nations have twice gone to war over the disputed province since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

In an apparent warning to India, Musharraf said "no outside forces" should try to take advantage of the "prevailing situation in Pakistan ... we shall preserve the integrity and sovereignty of our country to the last drop of blood."

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called a crisis meeting Tuesday night after reports of the military action surfaced. The Cabinet Committee on Security was to meet Wednesday, immediately after Vajpayee was sworn in for another term as prime minister.

Vajpayee was reelected prime minister in elections completed earlier this month. One of his promises was to restart stalled peace talks with India's nuclear neighbor Pakistan.

In Washington, State Department spokesman James Rubin said it was clear the government of Pakistan was in "crisis." He said if the government was being overthrown, the United States would push for the restoration of democracy as soon as possible.

"We were not aware of this move in advance," said Rubin. He said the United States believes Pakistan's constitution "must be respected.

The army has ruled Pakistan for 25 of its 52-year history, and army takeovers have happened repeatedly. But democratically elected governments have been in place since 1985.

Reporters Imtiaz Gul, Nadeem Yaqub and Yasir Qureshi, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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