Emergency to be lifted today: Qayyum

* AG says president will address the nation at 8pm

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf will issue a presidential order to lift the emergency by 1pm today (Saturday), said Attorney General Malik Qayyum. He told Daily Times that the president would administer oath to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar in the afternoon. The CJ would later administer oath to all the Supreme Court judges, he added. He also said that the president would address the nation through state television and radio at around 8pm. He said articles 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 25 of the constitution, which had been suspended by the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), would be restored. Qayyum said this marked the second time that President Musharraf had amended the constitution since he imposed emergency on November 3. He said the new order is a reinforcement of the earlier one, adding that the first order had been issued on November 21. The judges who had not taken oath under the PCO would not be re-instated, he added. The country remained under emergency rule and was run through the PCO for 42 days. staff report