Karachi, Nov 4 : Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that President Pervez Musharraf by proclaiming an emergency has taken away the rights of the 160 million people.

He said Musharraf’s action would bring more hardships for the people of Pakistan, and appealed to the people to "rise against the dictator".

"The people of Pakistan should rise. It’s time for the people to rise. They must respond to the call of duty. This is a great opportunity. If we let it go, a similar opportunity will never come," he said.

"Never in the 60 years of Pakistan’s history has any president done this. The situation in the country is alarming," Sharif said.

Nawaz said that Pakistan was heading towards anarchy, and described Musharraf’s decision to invoke emergency powers as a form of martial law.

"We are heading towards a chaotic situation, heading towards anarchy," he added.

Nawaz said that Musharraf was "terrorising" and "threatening" the courts, the Daily Times reported.

"Musharraf’s action speaks volumes about his fear that the Supreme Court might rule against him in a case challenging his eligibility to run for a second presidential term. He took this action to prevent the SC from giving its verdict," Sharif said. (ANI)