The coup was a result of the dismissal of Gen. Pervaiz Mushaffar, the Chief of Joint and the Army Staff.
He was returning back on an official tour from Sri Lanka, when the plane was not allowed to land. This caused tension especially with the pilot of the PIA flight, as there was not much fuel in the plane to fly over to Mascat. The plane was landed on the order of the dismissed chief.
On arrival, the armed forces sacked the Karachi Airport and the Chief was driven to Maleer Cantt. by the Core Commander of Karachi Division, where they informed him of the present situation.
Besides this, the Army also sacked the PTV Station, Islamabad, in order to keep the Prime Minister away from his address to the nation. Along with this, the Minister of Communication, Mr. Mushahid Hussain, was arrested. The Prime Minister and his brother were house-arrested.
The Foreign Minister, Mr. Surtaj Aziz, and the Governor of Punjab were arrested immediately. It is believed that this coup was operated by the high military officials and the core commanders of the country in the absence of Gen. Musharraf, as he himself was (maybe) not aware of this situation and that is why he was suddenly driven to Mileer Cantt. (Karachi) by Military High officials to join a meeting. This unease situation occurred due to the announcement of the dismissal of Gen. Musharraf in his absence by the former Prime Minister.
The reaction here is so confusing at the moment (as this was a very unexpected situation) but now it seems that the tides have cooled down. But we are still waiting for the policies of the Chief Executive of the Country."
You know I always admire the way of your expression and writings, especially on your web site.
I am sending an article I wrote on the current situation of Pakistan. I know it can never be as good as yours', but it is a try.
What actually happened, I wrote this in an article.
Before writing the article, let me tell you my feelings at that time: I was watching the local broadcasting and all of a sudden there was a blackout in the television channel and all the local channels.
I couldn't get access to BBC and CNN, as my satellite was out of order. Then, I rushed to the Internet and found that the military troops have sacked the Islamabad Television Station as well as the Islamabad, Lahore Airport, the local radio station and yes especially the Karachi Airport, where General Musharraf was going to arrive from Sri Lanka. Now, here goes what I wrote:
Your Friend,
Saira
Here are links: