Pakistan's Supreme Court deliberates emergency rule

A reconstituted Pakistani Supreme Court, loaded with judges chosen by President Pervez Musharraf, began deliberations today on the legality of the general’s emergency rule and his eligibility to serve a third term as head of state.

With pressure mounting to get the country on a path to democracy, the government set January 8 as the date for elections. But there was no evidence that General Musharraf intended to lift his state of emergency – a key demand of both the opposition and Washington – before the vote.