Pakistan's Musharraf Declares State of Emergency

Brave Pakistani Editor Stands Up to Government
Brave Pakistani Editor Stands Up to Government
By E&P Staff
Published: November 05, 2007

Chaos reigns in Pakistan, now under a form of martial law, and it is hard to say exactly how the country's newspapers and other media are making out overall. But some restrictions have already been set in some places, to be sure. Independent television stations remained off the air for the third straight day.

The New York Times on its web site today provides one particular anecdote, featuring a newspaper editor who fought back, and won, at least for now:

"In a showdown this afternoon between the government and the news media, hundreds of journalists and printers at the Jang Group, Pakistan's largest media group, confronted the police and officials from the government's press information department at the offices of Awam, the afternoon newspaper in Karachi.

"The government officials ordered the newspaper's editor, Nazeer Leghari, not to print a supplement, and the police threatened to close down the plant, according to a statement issued by the Jang Group. When the newspaper's management refused to obey, the officials withdrew, the statement said."

Biden to Pakistan: Restore Democratic Freedoms or else
How I wish Joe Biden was our president.---BBB

Biden to Pakistan: Restore Democratic Freedoms Or Lose US Funding
by Beverly Davis
Posted November 5, 2007

Des Moines, Iowa---After a nearly 40 minute stump speech to over 100 caucus goers at the Des Moines Zoo Sunday night, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Democratic presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden gave HuffPost's OffTheBus his prescription for solving the current and dangerous situation in Pakistan: Restore democratic freedoms or you don't get the military aircraft or an annual $1 Billion check from the U.S.

Senator Biden: "I just spoke with former [Pakistani] Prime Minister Mrs. Bhutto this morning to discuss the situation. I fear what will happen if he [Musharraf] forces the vast majority of Pakistani moderates to move in league with the more radical elements to overthrow him and then we'll have a similar circumstance we had with the Shah twenty-five years ago - where you have the moderates in league with the ore radical elements to get rid of a figure that is despotic in their view - and that's what's going to be my message to Musharraf tomorrow [Monday morning] when he calls me and that was my discussion that I had with Bhutto today."

HuffPost's OffTheBus: Do you have an ally in Mrs. Bhutto? You said you spoke with her this morning.

Senator Biden: "I have an ally in a sense that Mrs. Bhutto wants - she took a bit of a risk and as did Musharraf - he originally dropped all the criminal charges and corruption charges [against her] and in turn, she agreed to come back and hold free elections. So, the key to this is - this is still able to be dealt with, if in fact, Martial Law is lifted relatively quickly and he [Musharraf] assures the world that there will be general elections held for the parliament within 60 days. I think we can get by this and we can begin to form this new coalition that may be possible to keep radicalization of Pakistan from occurring."

HuffPost's OffTheBus: What would you do as President to restore democracy in Pakistan?

Senator Biden: "Yes. Look, Musharraf is not an independent actor. Musharraf is in a situation where the military, it matters to the military, if they have the P3's, these aircraft and these F16s [that the U.S. has promised to deliver] and I would make it clear that if he, in fact, is going to continue to keep Marshall Law in place and not hold these parliamentary elections. If I were president, I'd make it clear I would withhold these sales. Because I think you're going to see a lot of pressure build, not only in the Pakistani society but within the Pakistani military, if he in fact starts to jeopardize their relative strength relative to India.

HuffPost's OffTheBus: Do you have a relationship with Musharraf?

Senator Biden: "Yes. When I said relationship, I've met with him many times and he knows who I am, I know him well, we've spoken. I had a similar conversation with the head of the security service for the Pakistan, a general at the time, a day after 9/11. He was in town and I called the Ambassador and insisted on speaking to him and I made it clear to him as one senator, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, that they had to withdraw their support of the Pashto and the Taliban and if they didn't, they'd be in real trouble....I think we have to have straight talk with these people."

HuffPost's OffTheBus: And if he doesn't, other than not sending the P3's, I mean we spend a lot of money over there - a billion dollars.

Senator Biden: "Yes...we send $1 Billion dollars there and it has to be tied to continued democracy and cooperation for the money he's been given.

What I would be doing is what I've been arguing that we should do if I were President for the last four years. We should be beefing up our presence in Afghanistan. We should be changing our mix of troops in Afghanistan including intelligence assets as well as Special Forces.

We should be moving into position where we demonstrate not only to the Europeans, who will then join us more in Afghanistan, but also to Musharraf to embolden him to begin to cooperate with us more than he has been doing.

I believe this Administration is part of the problem. This administration, when it walked away from Afghanistan figuratively speaking, I think that was a sign to Musharraf, I'd better cut my deal with these folks, and I think that began the unraveling of this and the greater radicalization of Pakistani society.

I think if we were to demonstrate that we were there to stay in Afghanistan and put the proper mix of forces in Afghanistan, I think you'd see Musharraf much more emboldened to cooperate with us for the money he's been given."

HuffPost's OffTheBus: "We also have a situation in Turkey with the Kurds. The Turkish government is really on edge and has requested that the United States to get involved. If you were president, how would you respond?"

Senator Biden: I know you know this but your listeners or readers may not know this, the fact is the PKK, which is the radical element of the Kurds, has been very engaged in trying to destabilize the situation in eastern turkey.

There are about 4 million Kurds there. I think we should have - a long time ago - been reassuring the Kurds that we were in no way supportive of the PKK.

I would be putting significant pressure - and I've had this discussion with Talibani [Iraqi President Jalal Talibani] in my office personally, thatthey have to step up to the ball, stop providing havens for the PKK.

But we have a little bit of a problem. The PKK is sitting on the Iranian border as well as on the Turkey border, but I think, we should have as a policy non-support of the PKK and use our assets to help identify where they are and not allowing them sanctuary...and I think that's the demonstration we have to make to the Turks, they are our NATO ally."

Musharraf's crackdown could fuel insurgency in Pakistan
Musharraf's crackdown could fuel insurgency in Pakistan
By Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Monday, November 5, 2007

WASHINGTON ?- President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan, which he said is intended to curb Islamic extremism, could actually aid the growing insurgency by militants allied with al Qaida and the Taliban, U.S. officials and experts warned Monday.

Musharraf's brutal suppression and arrests Monday of thousands of opposition protesters also could endanger U.S. congressional approval of a $750 million plan to help curb the insurgency, they said.

Senior U.S. officials indicated that security aid will continue to flow to Pakistan despite the crackdown, underscoring the Bush administration's fears over the potentially serious consequences of Musharraf's moves for the U.S. war on terror.

"We are reviewing all of our assistance programs (to Pakistan), although we are mindful not to do anything that would undermine ongoing counterterrorism efforts," Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said during a news conference in Beijing.

Musharraf, who is also the army chief of staff, took power in a 1999 coup and became a key ally in fighting terrorism after the 9/11 attacks, sending his army into the tribal areas and arresting several senior al Qaida operatives.

In imposing the state of emergency on Saturday, Musharraf said he intended to crush Islamic militants, who have extended their deadly assaults beyond the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and staged a growing number of suicide bombings in urban centers.

But the insurgency isn't the only crisis Musharraf faces. The others are a loss of political support for his grip on power and court challenges to the legality of his dual role as president and chief of staff. His declaration of emergency rule came ahead of a Pakistan Supreme Court ruling that might have de-legitimized his recent re-election as president.

Musharraf's "focus will be on stabilizing his power base, which means dealing with dissidents, opposition parties and law and order in general," said Seth Jones, an expert on Pakistan with the RAND Corp., a think tank that advises the U.S. government.

All of that will leave Musharraf little energy or time to conduct counterinsurgency operations against the extremists, who have imposed harsh Islamic rule in parts of the so-called Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, bordering Afghanistan. As a result, militants could have more freedom to carry out their operations and recruit.

"It's going to be difficult to see how Musharraf can take new initiatives up in the tribal areas," said a State Department official, who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Musharraf also will have to keep close tabs on the army for signs of a mutiny.

The officer corps is angered by hundreds of casualties that the army has sustained in operations against the militants launched under pressure from the United States. It's also upset over the tarnishing of the military's image caused by Musharraf's rule, experts said.

Musharraf has kept the army in its barracks since the crackdown, relying mostly on police and paramilitary units, because many officers and troops would be unwilling to use force against fellow Pakistanis, said several U.S. officials and experts.

The Bush administration has been pressing Musharraf to step up military operations in the FATA, since U.S. intelligence agencies reported earlier this year that a rejuvenated al Qaida has established a sanctuary, complete with training bases, in the region.

The State Department official said that there are concerns that the Democratic-controlled Congress could react to Musharraf's crackdown by withholding approval of a new $750 million plan designed to help Pakistan contain the insurgency.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of a Senate subcommittee that oversees aid to Pakistan, appeared to justify those concerns.

"U.S. aid to the Musharraf government should stop until constitutional order, civil liberties and judicial independence are restored, until political prisoners are released, and until free and fair elections are allowed," he said.

The money that would be dispersed under the plan would be used to provide new equipment and training for Pakistani security forces and to create jobs in the destitute tribal region through the construction of roads, hospitals and schools.