ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf has suspended the Pakistan constitution and deployed troops in the capital, claiming that rising Islamic extremism forced him to take the emergency measures.

According to the Pakistan Christian Post, authorities began rounding up opposition politicians despite calls from Washington and other Western allies not to take authoritarian measures.

The U.S. called for Musharraf to restore democracy. However, the Pentagon said the emergency declaration does not affect U.S. military support for Pakistan and its efforts in the war on terrorism. Britain said it was deeply concerned.

“The extremists are taking the writ of the government in their own hands, and even worse they are imposing their obsolete ideas on moderates,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported the president said in an address to the nation late Sat. on state-run television.

The Pakistan Christian Post reported that Musharraf replaced the chief justice of the Supreme Court – who had emerged as the main check on his power – before a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president. His emergency order accused some judges of “working at cross purposes with the executive,” and “weakening the government’s resolve” to fight terrorism

Christian Persecution in Pakistan

According to a Sept. 2007 article in the Christian Post, Khalil Tahir, a well-known Christian lawyer and chairman of the free legal aid organization “Adal Trust,” said that Christians in the country are routinely abused and tortured.

“Although we try to aid the victim's families, offering legal and practical help, the government must ... stop the issue (arising),” the Christian Post reported he said.

Muslims make up about 97 percent of Pakistan’s people, while Hindus make up 1.5 percent, and Christians 1.7 percent.

According to the U.S.- based International Christian Concern, Christian girls are frequently kidnaped, raped, molested, converted, and in some cases killed by Muslims (www.christianpost.com/article/20070903/29149_Pakistani_Christian_Girls_Kidnapped,_Converted_and_Forcibly_Married.htm).

The Christian Post said that although complaints are registered with the police, they reportedly do not take effective action against the attackers.

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service." Additional details about "Homeless" are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.