Violence rages in Pakistan as admin spins progress in Bush's war on terror

New Mideast Commander Off to Quiet Start

Admirers of Adm. William J. Fallon salute his reputation for deft diplomacy. Judging from his first weeks as top commander of American forces in the Middle East, a talent for tact has served him well in many countries of the region except, perhaps, the one that matters most _ Iraq.

Fallon is off to a quiet start as President Bush's surprise choice to succeed Army Gen. John Abizaid as head of Central Command. He is overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while managing military relationships with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other nations at the center of Bush's strategy in fighting terrorism.

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The white-haired admiral is concerned, too, about alienating Iraqi leaders, and that troubles some in Washington.

Fallon told a Senate panel this month that his chief priority is securing Iraq. He described himself as "guardedly optimistic," but he tread lightly on the question of how to push the fractious Iraqi government into the political compromises deemed necessary to stabilize the country.

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New Pakistan political riots break out

By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Sun May 13, 9:58 AM ET

KARACHI, Pakistan - Pro-government and opposition groups blamed each other Sunday for Pakistan's worst political violence in years, as new riots broke out and the toll from street battles in Karachi rose to 37 dead and over 150 wounded.

Security forces in armored personnel carriers and pickup trucks topped with machine guns patrolled the streets, which were largely deserted.

But gunmen traded shots between neighborhoods dominated by rival ethnic groups, and police found the bullet-ridden body of a pro-government activist. Firefighters were called after a funeral procession left a row of shops in flames.

A crisis has been brewing since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on March 9 over allegations he abused his office. Critics accuse Musharraf, also army chief, of trying to sideline the independent-minded judge in case of legal challenges to efforts to prolong his nearly eight-year rule.

The push to reinstate Chaudhry as chief justice has galvanized Pakistan's opposition and amounts to the biggest challenge to Musharraf's rule since his 1999 coup.

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Pakistani, Afghan troops clash at border

By SADAQAT JAN, Associated Press Writer Sun May 13, 9:58 AM ET

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire at their rugged border Sunday in their most serious skirmish in years. Pakistan claimed it killed six Afghan soldiers, but Afghanistan said just two Afghan civilians were killed.

Tension has been running high between Afghanistan and Pakistan, both key U.S. allies, over controlling their 1,510-mile shared border and stemming the flow of Taliban and al-Qaida militants that stage cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan. Pakistan's move to fence parts of the disputed frontier has also angered Afghanistan.

Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad accused the Afghan army of firing at Pakistani border posts: "This was unprovoked and without any reason."

Troops from Pakistan's Frontier Corps returned fire and "six, seven" Afghans were killed, Arshad said, adding the Pakistani troops were able to see the casualties inflicted by looking across the border at Afghan posts a few hundred yards away. Three Pakistani troops were wounded, he said.

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Iraq has made America less safe. The terrorists are not on the run. Terrorist acts tripled between 2004 and 2005. Al-Qaida has spawned a decentralized network operating in 65 countries, most of them joining since 9/11. Only Dick Cheney could call this a success.

The situation in Afghanistan deteriorates steadily. The Taliban now controls entire portions of southern Afghanistan, and across the border Pakistan is one coup away from becoming a radical jihadist state with nuclear weapons. Only George Bush could declare this "mission accomplished." -- John Kerry

Pakistan Violence Erupts: President "Busharraf" In Trouble

Bush + Musharraf = Busharraf. This is what Pakistanis call their "enlightened moderate" (or is it, moderately enlightened) dictator.

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Until recently Musharraf had a few things going for him. He had been able to mollify and appeal to Pakistan's large moderate center by keeping the attention on the "Talibanization" of the country (which is real). Also, by using exile as a tool he deprived the moderate center from having symbols around whom to rally. Finally, he worked hard on creating a better economic culture (even funding a securities and exchange commission), that brought a lot of foreign investment to Lahore and Karachi. Now, the first two bulwarks have fallen.

Led by the lawyers of the country, who became agitated when Musharraf removed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court based on charges of corruption, the moderate center ceased paying attention to the Taliban style militias and War on Terror. They suddenly realized that their leader was an autocrat. They took to the streets in defense of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the rule of law. Thus, the Chief Justice became the symbol around which the populists and opposition could rally. Musharraf tried to demonstrate that the Chief Justice actually was corrupt (and the case is pending before the Supreme Judiciary Council and verdict comes out tomorrow). However, the damage had been done.

The opposition parties latched onto the Chief Justice and started parading him around the country like a golden calf. Things were peaceful and calm, relatively speaking, until the Chief Justice decided to go to Karachi over the weekend. Karachi is home to the MQM, the backbone party in the Musharraf coalition. Acting like Musharraf's bulldogs (though arguably not at his behest), the MQM put on a show of force, prevented the Chief Justice from speaking at his venue, and blocked the city's streets. Riots started. 34 people died, the death toll is rising, and everyone is claiming that Karachi is burning. It is. In fact, the Pakistani papers say the country is bleeding. These graphic (warning!) pictures put the seriousness of the situation in perspective. Given that media outlets and private TV stations were also attacked, now the media has joined the lawyers in opposing Musharraf.

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The possibility exists that the Musharraf cat is out of the bag and that the military, behaving in a corporatist fashion, will replace him with a more amenable general, while sending Musharraf off to live in the West. Then, the new face will announce elections in the near future, and Pakistan will once again go back to a democratic government. The problem with this scenario is that the democratic leaders are a coterie of inept, unjust, violent felons and convicts, who in the past have used violence, virulent fascist violence, to destroy their opponents and pillage small business and punish citizens. The fear with democracy in Pakistan is not, as some members of the right-wing claim, that the Islamists will take over. Most of the democrats are, if not committed to quasi-secular principles, relatively uncaring towards political Islam. Rather, the fear is that the democrats are self-obsessed, greedy, and rapacious no matter what ideology they belong to.

The possibility also exists that Musharraf will be able to avoid being removed, appease the populists by reaching a power sharing deal, and stick around for a few more years until he himself renounces the dictatorship. If it looks that the populist protests are not dying down very soon, I recommend the U.S. ask (and help) Musharraf to go this route.

Either way, two things are certain. First, no one in Pakistan is looking for Bin Laden. Second, Pakistan is now as important as Iraq and Iran on the global stage.

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23 February 2006

Bush Praises President Musharraf Ahead of Pakistan Visit

Says Musharraf has "vision for democracy," economy reform yielding results

Washington -- President Bush, who will visit Pakistan in March, praised Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's leadership in dealing with Islamic radicals and his personal courage in the face of assassination attempts.

Speaking with Pakistani journalists February 22, Bush said he appreciated Musharraf's "commitment to joining the world in dealing with Islamic radicals who will murder innocent people to achieve an objective."

Bush also cited Musharraf's "vision for a democracy in Pakistan," saying Musharraf is committed to a successful political reform process. "I believe he's committed to free and open elections," Bush said.

Regarding closer economic ties between the United States and Pakistan, Bush said the United States will continue to pursue increased economic ties aimed at opening up additional commercial opportunities. He said discussions are under way for an investment arrangement that would be beneficial to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bush said that economic reforms in Pakistan have yielded "strong results." With a growing economy, Pakistan's people, Bush said, also are enjoying tangible benefits of democracy, including a free press.

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03/07/2007

Kerry, Dodd and Biden Pressure Pakistan on Al Qaeda

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators John Kerry, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden introduced a resolution today aimed at sending a signal to Pakistan that the Taliban and Al Qaeda must not be allowed to establish a safe haven in that country. The resolution came as the Senate debated the 9-11 legislation and is intended to put Congress on record as making clear that military assistance to Pakistan will be assessed in the context of efforts in cracking down on the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The three senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will seek to have the resolution added to the comprehensive 9-11 legislation.

"As the Senate works to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to make our country safer here at home, we must never forget of the importance of going after the terrorists before they can strike," Sen. Kerry said today. "Our top military and intelligence officials report that the resurgent Taliban is using the tribal regions of Pakistan as a base to launch attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan. It's unacceptable that a newly regenerated Al Qaeda is again finding sanctuary to plot new attacks. While it is important to recognize Pakistan's many important contributions to the fight against terror, it is obvious that more remains to be done. This resolution sends a clear message that Congress is watching Pakistan's efforts to crack down on the Taliban and Al Qaeda closely, and will consider progress when determining appropriate levels of U.S. military assistance."

This legislation reinforces the message coming from both Congress and the Executive Branch: the government of Pakistan has got to do far more to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda operations," said Sen. Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Our goal here is to improve cooperation with Pakistan. If we see Pakistan moving in the right direction on counterterrorism, democratization, and other issues, our aid levels should reflect this improvement. But decision-makers in Pakistan should recognize that the reverse is also true."

"The fact that the Taliban and Al Qaeda have established critical sanctuaries in Pakistan from where they continue to launch and plan attacks five years after 9/11 is simply unacceptable. It reflects the misguided priorities and policies of this administration in fighting the war on terror," said Sen. Dodd. "The Government of Pakistan has been a pivotal partner in the war on terror and Pakistan has itself endured acts of terrorism and sectarian violence. But the Government of Pakistan must do more in apprehending members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and preventing their operations on its territory. Stronger US-Pakistan relations depend on it."