New Delhi: New Delhi on Saturday regretted the imposition of emergency in Pakistan. The External Affairs Ministry said India hoped that normality would soon return to allow the transition to democracy.

“We regret the difficult times that Pakistan is passing through,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said. “We trust that conditions of normalcy will soon return permitting Pakistan’s transition to stability and democracy to continue,” he added. India has decided to treat the declaration of Emergency in Pakistan as an internal problem of that country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held an unscheduled meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to take stock of the developments in Pakistan. National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan said after the meeting, “We are treating it as an internal problem of Pakistan, but we are watchful and on the alert.” Congress party’s media in charge Veerappa Moily said: “We have been anxious for democracy to emerge in Pakistan.” BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said the situation was a much stronger case for international concern than Myanmar.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CNN television on Saturday Pakistan’s declaration of emergency rule was “highly regrettable” and she hoped its intention was to have free and fair elections. The exiled former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif condemned the imposition of emergency and warned that it was heading towards chaos.

Sharif, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, urged all political parties, including rival Benazir Bhutto’s Peoples Democratic Party (PPP), to come together to oppose the move.

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