Islamabad.- General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, has imposed emergency rule in the country. State-run television reported on Saturday that the country's constitution had been suspended. Shortly afterwards, Iftikhar Chaudhry, the supreme court chief justice, was told his "services were no longer required" and replaced by a new chief judge.

The decision to impose emergency on Saturday came after an extraordinary meeting chaired by Musharraf which was attended by senior government and security officials. In a taped address to the nation, Musharraf said the decision to impose emergency was taken in the interest of Pakistan.

He cited growing extremism, increasing lawlessness and an "interfering judiciary" as some of the reasons behind his extraordinary step. "Not acting now would have been suicidal for Pakistan," said Musharraf. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, called the decision to declare a state of emergency "very regrettable". Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman, said the emergency declaration "does not impact [US] military support of Pakistan" or its efforts in the "war on terror".

Musharraf, who is also chief of the army staff, issued a provisional constitutional order declaring emergency. Chaudhry and eight other judges of the supreme court refused to endorse the order, but Musharraf's government rejected their ruling. Chaudhry has been placed under house arrest. Private Geo TV reported the arrest of Aitzaz Ahsan, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and a lawyer for Chaudhry in the case that led to his reinstatement in July.  

There have been several other arrests across the country, including that of Imran Khan, the cricketer turned politician; Asma Jehagir, chairman of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; and Javed Hashmi, the acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party of Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister.

Sharif, who is currently in exile in Saudi Arabia, said Pakistan was heading towards anarchy and described Musharraf's decision to invoke emergency as worse than martial law. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Jedda, he said the imposition of emergency was unprecedented and that it was done by Musharraf to pre-empt a possible adverse supreme court ruling on his eligibility to be re-elected as president. The ruling was expected in a matter of days. Sharif said: "The country is in the hands now of one single man who has no respect for its fate. "He has no respect for the constitution, he has no respect for the judiciary, he has no repsect for the law of the land. "He is doing this to perpetuate his rule - I would say mis-rule." Ahsan Iqbal, a Sharif ally, said: "Musharraf's speech on Saturday night was like a charge-sheet against himself. He has been in charge of the country for the last eight years, so who has brought the country to the brink of destabilisation?" Bhutto's appeal   Benazir Bhutto, another prime minister, has returned to the country from Dubai where she had gone to visit her family. Bhutto on Saturday urged world leaders to put pressure on Musharraf to reverse his decision "so that we can hold fair free and impartial elections".

"We very much want elections to be held on schedule but unless the constitution provisions that have been suspended are restored it's going to be very difficult to have fair elections," she said. She described the imposition of emergency as a "mini-martial law". However, Malik Mohammed Qayyum, the attorney-general, said: "There is no martial law in the country. Only a state of emergency has been declared. "The civilian government will continue to function."

Witnesses said paramilitary troops had been deployed at state-run television and radio stations. Transmissions by TV networks, other than state-controlled Pakistan TV, remained off the air in major cities on Sunday morning. Under emergency rule, Musharraf has banned the media from publishing anything that defamed, ridiculed or brought him, the armed forces or government into disrepute. He also stopped media from carrying statements from Islamic groups or their pictures, the official state news agency, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Residents said all telephone lines have been cut in the capital Islamabad.

Severe curbs have been imposed on the media and cable TVs taken off the air. On Sunday morning, Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba, speaking by phone from Islamabad, said: "Pakistanis are asking a lot of questions and are seeking the media for answers, asking questions about the arrests. The security forces still blocking most of the main roads."  

Pakistani lawyers called for a countrywide strike on Monday against the imposition of emergency rule, a leading lawyer said. "We are launching our struggle from tomorrow. Lawyers will be observing a strike tomorrow. We will be holding protests and boycotting courts," Hamid Ali Khan, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said on Sunday. Kamal Hyder, reporting for Al Jazeera from Islamabad, said the imposition of emergency rule would dismay Pakistanis. "Instead what they will see is more draconian measures from a government which is losing support among ordinary people and the legal fraternity." Lawyers' reaction   Amjad Malik, member of the Supreme Court Bar association, told Al Jazeera that the imposition of emergency showed Musharraf's desperation to hold on to power. "I think this shows how General Musharraf is willing to extend his rule. Since the military coup [in 1999] he has tried to intimidate the judiciary.  

"He has now resorted to emergency which will mean human rights will be suspended and there will be further attempts to intimidate the judiciary. "I think it is another black day for Pakistan." The development comes amid increasing violence across Pakistan by pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked fighters and growing political uncertainty over Musharraf's continued rule. His recent re-election has also been challenged in the supreme court. Emergency rule could lead to the postponement of national elections, which are scheduled to take place in January.