Musharraf Collars Leaders of Opposition

Pakistani police began rounding opposition leaders up into "preventive custody" yesterday to keep them from interfering with President Pervez Musharraf's bid for re-election. Many detained were outspoken supporters of Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf overthrew in 1999. Warrants seek to incarcerate anti-Musharraf leaders who might incite  "disruption and acts of sabotage and terrorism," reports the AP.

"They think that the uniform, not the people of Pakistan, are the source of power," said one critic with four armed guards outside his apartment. Musharraf claims he will step down from his military post if re-elected president, though he failed to do so last time. Opposition legislators plan protests and mass resignations from parliament if the election goes ahead as planned. (More Pakistan stories.)