A New York-based human rights organisation has flayed Pakistan's military government for widespread abuses in the name of political reforms and systematically destroying civil liberties. The 'human Rights Watch' (HRW) in a 20-page report 'repression or reform : post coup abuses in Pakistan' says that the Musharraf government had detained opponents and former officials without any charges, removed independent judges from higher courts, banned public rallies and demonstrations and rendered political parties all but powerless. ''Musharraf follows a long line of generals in Pakistan who have claimed that a period of military rule is the path to true democracy. In fact he is systematically destroying civil liberties in Pakistan,'' according to sidney jones, asia director of the HRW. The HRW called on Gen Musharraf to immediately lift the state of emergency, set a time-table for holding national and provincial elections, revoke provisional constitutional order that suspends the Constitution and undermines the judiciary, amend the November 1999 national accountability ordinance ostensibly designed to punish corrupt officials, cease using army to monitor civil institutions and hold judicial inquiries into allegations of custodial torture and prosecute those responsible. Bureau Report