He's carrying the torch of opposition in Pakistan
After Bhutto's slaying, Nawaz Sharif casts himself as the one to lead the charge against archenemy Musharraf. But the former premier faces an uphill fight -- at home and in Washington.
As this country's political opposition looks for a leader after last week's assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif may be the last man standing.And his eyes are fixed upon a single goal: to get rid of his archenemy, the man who kicked him out of office in a military coup more than eight years ago, President Pervez Musharraf.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Journalists arrested in Pakistan following Bhutto Assassination
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the arrests of journalists in Pakistan following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27.The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, said that 10 journalists in Sindh province who were reporting on events related to Ms Bhutto’s death have been arrested under anti-terrorism and riot laws.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the arrests of journalists in Pakistan following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27.The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, said that 10 journalists in Sindh province who were reporting on events related to Ms Bhutto’s death have been arrested under anti-terrorism and riot laws.
Pakistan president firmly denies conspiracy
Pervez Musharraf wants Scotland Yard to investigate Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
President Pervez Musharraf vehemently denied Thursday that Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies were behind Benazir Bhutto's killing and implied she was partly at fault.
Despite threats by militants, Bhutto poked her head out of the sunroof of her vehicle to greet supporters at an election rally, Musharraf said.
Pervez Musharraf wants Scotland Yard to investigate Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
President Pervez Musharraf vehemently denied Thursday that Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies were behind Benazir Bhutto's killing and implied she was partly at fault.
Despite threats by militants, Bhutto poked her head out of the sunroof of her vehicle to greet supporters at an election rally, Musharraf said.
British antiterror team arrives in Pakistan to join Bhutto probe
British antiterror officers joined the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's assassination Friday, a day after Pakistan's U.S-allied president dismissed allegations his government may have had a hand in the slaying.
"The same military and intelligence agencies are using the same people who are attacking them? It's a joke," President Pervez Musharraf said at a media conference late Thursday.
British antiterror officers joined the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's assassination Friday, a day after Pakistan's U.S-allied president dismissed allegations his government may have had a hand in the slaying.
"The same military and intelligence agencies are using the same people who are attacking them? It's a joke," President Pervez Musharraf said at a media conference late Thursday.
Musharraf denies government involvement in Bhutto killing
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Thursday said there was no government involvement in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but admitted he was unsatisfied with the probe into her death.
For the first time since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide attack that his government blamed on Al-Qaeda, he acknowledged reports that the crime scene had been quickly hosed down, possibly destroying evidence, after her murder.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Thursday said there was no government involvement in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but admitted he was unsatisfied with the probe into her death.
For the first time since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide attack that his government blamed on Al-Qaeda, he acknowledged reports that the crime scene had been quickly hosed down, possibly destroying evidence, after her murder.
U.S. has no good option in Pakistan
The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto killed the Bush administration's last hope that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf could simultaneously defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban and return his country to democratic rule.
The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto killed the Bush administration's last hope that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf could simultaneously defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban and return his country to democratic rule.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Terror ‘Destroying’ Afghanistan, Pakistan
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf met Afghan leader Hamid Karzai here yesterday for talks to cope with the threat of extremism and terrorism, which he said was “destroying both our countries.”
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf met Afghan leader Hamid Karzai here yesterday for talks to cope with the threat of extremism and terrorism, which he said was “destroying both our countries.”
Bhutto takes campaign to Pakistan's militant heartland
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto took her election campaign Wednesday to the heartland of Pakistan's militants, whose wave of violence has threatened to destabilise the nuclear-armed nation.
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto took her election campaign Wednesday to the heartland of Pakistan's militants, whose wave of violence has threatened to destabilise the nuclear-armed nation.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Bhutto vows to target extremists in Pakistan
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto yesterday accused President Pervez Musharraf of failing to stop the spread of Islamic militants and promised to crack down on them if she wins next month’s parliamentary election.
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto yesterday accused President Pervez Musharraf of failing to stop the spread of Islamic militants and promised to crack down on them if she wins next month’s parliamentary election.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Picture of Secret Detentions Emerges in Pakistan
Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, apparently trying to avoid acknowledging an elaborate secret detention system, have quietly set free nearly 100 men suspected of links to terrorism, few of whom were charged, human rights groups and lawyers here say. Those released, they say, are some of the nearly 500 Pakistanis presumed to have disappeared into the hands of the Pakistani intelligence agencies cooperating with Washington’s fight against terrorism since 2001.
Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, apparently trying to avoid acknowledging an elaborate secret detention system, have quietly set free nearly 100 men suspected of links to terrorism, few of whom were charged, human rights groups and lawyers here say. Those released, they say, are some of the nearly 500 Pakistanis presumed to have disappeared into the hands of the Pakistani intelligence agencies cooperating with Washington’s fight against terrorism since 2001.
In Pakistan vote, Musharraf ally battles foes, apathy
If one Pakistan ruling party rally with awkward speeches, empty audience chairs and distracted crowds in a dustbowl is anything to go by, President Pervez Musharraf's days in power may be numbered.
Tuesday night's rally in a poor, smoggy Lahore neighborhood was for Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a quietly spoken man running as Musharraf's de facto prime ministerial candidate in January 8 elections and a possible political kingmaker.
If one Pakistan ruling party rally with awkward speeches, empty audience chairs and distracted crowds in a dustbowl is anything to go by, President Pervez Musharraf's days in power may be numbered.
Tuesday night's rally in a poor, smoggy Lahore neighborhood was for Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a quietly spoken man running as Musharraf's de facto prime ministerial candidate in January 8 elections and a possible political kingmaker.
Sharif Barred From Pakistan Election
Pakistan's Election Commission said Tuesday that opposition leader Nawaz Sharif cannot run in parliamentary elections next month, eliminating the former prime minister's chances of returning to office.
The decision leaves Sharif with no further avenue for appeal and denies him a platform in parliament to continue his campaign against his archrival, President Pervez Musharraf, who ousted him in a 1999 coup.
Pakistan's Election Commission said Tuesday that opposition leader Nawaz Sharif cannot run in parliamentary elections next month, eliminating the former prime minister's chances of returning to office.
The decision leaves Sharif with no further avenue for appeal and denies him a platform in parliament to continue his campaign against his archrival, President Pervez Musharraf, who ousted him in a 1999 coup.
Secret Pakistan detention system revealed
Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, apparently trying to avoid acknowledging an elaborate secret detention system, have quietly set free nearly 100 men suspected of links to terrorism, few of whom were charged, human rights groups and lawyers here say.
Those released, they say, are some of the nearly 500 Pakistanis presumed to have disappeared into the hands of the Pakistani intelligence agencies cooperating with Washington’s fight against terrorism since 2001.
Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, apparently trying to avoid acknowledging an elaborate secret detention system, have quietly set free nearly 100 men suspected of links to terrorism, few of whom were charged, human rights groups and lawyers here say.
Those released, they say, are some of the nearly 500 Pakistanis presumed to have disappeared into the hands of the Pakistani intelligence agencies cooperating with Washington’s fight against terrorism since 2001.
Train derails in Pakistan, killing dozens
An express train crowded with holiday travelers derailed in southern Pakistan early Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and injuring many more, officials said.
The overnight train was going from Karachi to Lahore when about 12 of its 16 cars came off the rails near Mehrabpur, about 250 miles north of Karachi, the officials said.
An express train crowded with holiday travelers derailed in southern Pakistan early Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and injuring many more, officials said.
The overnight train was going from Karachi to Lahore when about 12 of its 16 cars came off the rails near Mehrabpur, about 250 miles north of Karachi, the officials said.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Biden warns Musharraf on Pakistan elections
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden yesterday told Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf there will be consequences if his elections are in any way shoddy.
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he spoke with the embattled president by phone. Biden said U.S. aid to that country may be in doubt if the upcoming elections don't meet expectations.
"I want to make it clear, for the United States of America to be willing to support Pakistan the way we have in the past, it rests on this transition to democracy being real. If this election is not fair and open, there will be consequences for it, in terms of our participating in aid," Biden said he told Musharraf.
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden yesterday told Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf there will be consequences if his elections are in any way shoddy.
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he spoke with the embattled president by phone. Biden said U.S. aid to that country may be in doubt if the upcoming elections don't meet expectations.
"I want to make it clear, for the United States of America to be willing to support Pakistan the way we have in the past, it rests on this transition to democracy being real. If this election is not fair and open, there will be consequences for it, in terms of our participating in aid," Biden said he told Musharraf.
Pakistan's financial sector rises to $114.6b
The overall size of Pakistan's financial sector has increased by almost Rs900 billion, 32 per cent growth over December 2005, to reach Rs6.9 trillion ($114.6 billion) up to June, 2007.
Banks, with a share of 72 per cent in total assets, continue to dominate the asset base of the financial sector, the central bank said.
Launching a new annual publication, Financial Stability Review 2006 (FSR), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said the financial sector is predominantly led by the private sector, constituting of both domestic and foreign financial institutions, controlling 64.9 per cent of overall assets.
The overall size of Pakistan's financial sector has increased by almost Rs900 billion, 32 per cent growth over December 2005, to reach Rs6.9 trillion ($114.6 billion) up to June, 2007.
Banks, with a share of 72 per cent in total assets, continue to dominate the asset base of the financial sector, the central bank said.
Launching a new annual publication, Financial Stability Review 2006 (FSR), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said the financial sector is predominantly led by the private sector, constituting of both domestic and foreign financial institutions, controlling 64.9 per cent of overall assets.
Pakistan's Bhutto slams Musharraf for rise of extremism
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, in an interview published here Monday, accused President Pervez Musharraf of presiding over a resurgence of extremism and for mismanaging a demoralised military. "He's got to answer this because as far as I'm concerned some of the people around him have sympathy for the militants," she said in an interview published in the Washington Post and Newsweek.
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, in an interview published here Monday, accused President Pervez Musharraf of presiding over a resurgence of extremism and for mismanaging a demoralised military. "He's got to answer this because as far as I'm concerned some of the people around him have sympathy for the militants," she said in an interview published in the Washington Post and Newsweek.
Pakistan Seeks End to Commonwealth Ban After Emergency Lifted
Pakistan appealed to the Commonwealth to lift its suspension from the 53-nation group after President Pervez Musharraf met demands to step down as army chief and lift the state of emergency declared in November.
Information Minister Nisar A. Memon called on the group to restore Pakistan's membership as a goodwill gesture and send observers to monitor next month's elections, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Pakistan appealed to the Commonwealth to lift its suspension from the 53-nation group after President Pervez Musharraf met demands to step down as army chief and lift the state of emergency declared in November.
Information Minister Nisar A. Memon called on the group to restore Pakistan's membership as a goodwill gesture and send observers to monitor next month's elections, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Pakistan's emergency not yet over
President Pervez Musharraf's lifting of emergency rule over Pakistan and restoration of the constitution is insufficient to put the country on the path to democracy, say civil-rights activists. For one thing, there is the unprecedented situation created by most of the country's higher judiciary refusing to take an oath under Musharraf's Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) of November 3 that imposed the state of emergency. Anti-press laws and restrictions on the electronic media remain. And last, but not least, is Musharraf himself, elected as president for the next five years while still in army uniform, by an outgoing assembly.
President Pervez Musharraf's lifting of emergency rule over Pakistan and restoration of the constitution is insufficient to put the country on the path to democracy, say civil-rights activists. For one thing, there is the unprecedented situation created by most of the country's higher judiciary refusing to take an oath under Musharraf's Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) of November 3 that imposed the state of emergency. Anti-press laws and restrictions on the electronic media remain. And last, but not least, is Musharraf himself, elected as president for the next five years while still in army uniform, by an outgoing assembly.
Suicide blast kills 9 troops in Pakistan
A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of Pakistani army recruits returning from a soccer game in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing nine of them, the army said.
The attacker struck near an army communications center in Kohat, about 30 miles from the city of Peshawar. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said nine troops were killed and four were wounded.
A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of Pakistani army recruits returning from a soccer game in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing nine of them, the army said.
The attacker struck near an army communications center in Kohat, about 30 miles from the city of Peshawar. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said nine troops were killed and four were wounded.
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