CNN

Pakistan, Nov 3: Faced with increasing violence and unrest, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday declared a state of emergency, government sources told CNN.

President Pervez Musharraf has faced a flurry of criticism from opponents in Pakistan.

Earlier, private networks had reported the declaration was imminent as top officials huddled at the presidency. Shortly after that report, most media channels went off the air in an apparent blackout, although some flickered off and on.

The declaration could potentially delay approaching parliamentary elections, according to CNN's Nic Robertson. It also could provide Musharraf with a reason to continue serving as the nation's military chief, although he has pledged to step down from that post.

The declaration follows the Thursday departure of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who went to Dubai to visit family. She returned to Pakistan last month after several years in exile.

A senior party leader with Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party had advised her not to leave the country because of the current political situation. She initially planned to leave Wednesday.

The nation's political atmosphere has been tense for months, with Pakistani leaders in August considering the imposition of a state of emergency because of the growing security threats in the country's lawless tribal regions. But Musharraf, influenced in part by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, held off on the move.

Since that time Musharraf has faced a flurry of criticism from the opposition, who demanded he abandon his military position before becoming eligible to seek a third presidential term. Musharraf garnered a vast majority of votes in presidential elections last month; however, those results have not been certified by the nation's high court.

For weeks the country has been coasting in a state of political limbo while the Supreme Court works to tackle legal challenges filed by the opposition that calls into question Musharraf's eligibility to hold office. Some have speculated that a declaration of emergency is tied to rumors the court is planning to rule against Musharraf.

Musharraf, who led the 1999 coup as Pakistan's army chief, has seen his power erode since a failed effort earlier this year to fire the Supreme Court's chief justice. His administration is also struggling to contain a surge in Islamic militancy.

Bhutto, who has defied death threats, is working to lead her party into January's general elections and gain a third term as prime minister, possibly under a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.

On Oct. 18, a suicide attacker killed at least 130 people in an assassination attempt on Bhutto during her homecoming. Bhutto received light wounds, but escaped largely unharmed.