HYDERABAD, March 18: Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that world has started branding Pakistan as a failed state and it is high time that schedule for general elections is announced in the country to rid it of the crisis that involves parliament, judiciary and the media.

Speaking at a press conference at the residence of People’s Party Parliamentarians MPA Zahid Bhurgari, Mr Khuhro said that after riding roughshod over parliament and judiciary, the ‘dictatorial regime’ had now targeted the media.

He said that people had pinned their hopes on the apex court for redressal of their grievances but now that door was shut after President Musharraf paralysed the highest judicial officer through a presidential reference.

He said that first Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was detained for five hours until he was stripped of his authority and then, having lost his due protocol, when he refused to board an official vehicle, he was publicly insulted and even pulled by hair by a low-ranking police officer to force him sit in the car.

Then, he said, the government took on the media and police were given marching orders to ransack a private TV channel's office in the presence of the federal information minister because of its coverage of appearance of the ‘non-functional’ chief justice before the Supreme Judicial Council that was seized of the presidential reference.

“I reject the notion that it was an attempt by some policemen on their own because they cannot do anything unless directed by the government”, the PPP leader said.

He said that initially it was claimed that action against the chief justice was taken on the advice of legal experts but when acting chief justice described Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry as the chief justice, it was ‘extra-judicially’ announced that he had been sent on forced leave.

He said that judiciary was more independent in the neighbouring country where two third majority of parliament decided appointment and removal of a justice of higher and superior judiciary.