Mar. 22 – The role of Pakistani President Asif Ali Ardari has been further diminished with the stripping of power to declare emergency rule in the event of “grave internal disturbance or external aggression.”

Under the current Pakistani constitution, that right resides with the president. However, a new clause being inserted removes this and hands it to a resolution of the provincial assembly. While more democratic, it does create possible delays of up to ten days in dealing with the very same situation that prompted the right in the first place – a grave emergency.