UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced "great concern" over Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in his country, according to dpa. "He expresses his strong dismay at the detention of hundreds of human rights and opposition activists, including the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief" Asma Jehangir, said a statement issued by Ban. Ban urged the Pakistani authorities to immediately release those detained, lift restrictions on the media and take early steps for a return to democratic rule. "He appealed to the government of Pakistan to hold the parliamentary elections as scheduled," the statement said.
