And again, allies are expressing concern but not yet actually saying they're going to do anything about it.
I never seem to hear about these situations until they erupt... Does someone with more background on this man want to fill me in?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The former (ousted) Prime Minister, Benzair Bhutto, recently returned to Pakistan to lead the opposition, amidst death threats and a deadly attack on her caravan.
President Musharraf and his allies clearly feel threatened by her return. As a leader who was popularly elected and removed from office twice, there's every possibility she could be elected again, whereas Musharraf rose to power in a military coup and has never been vindicated by a legitimate election.
Part of the reason that many outsiders may hesitate to intervene is that Musharraf is seen as largely a pro-Western and anti-extremist leader, albeit one who faces internal forces within Pakistan he may be unable to contain.
That's kind've the capsule version, though things like the corruption charges on which Bhutto was removed from power raise complicated questions.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Pakistan is basically a failed democracy. They've had, I think, about 6 coups and 6 constitutions in the 60 years the country has been around. General Musharraf is the latest dictator in a long line of dictators (which normally come when the military overthrows the government). The declared emergency is meant to keep him in power. It's likely that the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which still maintains some power, particularly with the general people, will challenge this. I've heard reports that Musharraf has surrounded the court (with the justices inside) with either police or military, which suggests that this latest conflict between the two will not end as peacefully as the last (when Musharraf backed down and reinstated the head justice).
Historically the military dictatorships tend to be "better" for the (short-term) stability of the country than the elected leaders; the military generally has better control over the various extremists groups in the country - although with the recent spate of bombing, problems in the western tribal areas, and the Red Mosque issue, it seems that Musharraf is losing whatever control he might have. Neighboring countries, particularly India, would probably prefer to keep Musharraf in power, if only because he's a known entity.
The return of Bhutto has certainly added fuel to the fire. It's unlikely that the situation will clear up any time soon, but I don't think that Pakistan is "another Burma." The government in Burma seems to have slapped down the unrest in the country; Pakistan seems likely to continue to descend into chaos.
The best news source for Pakistan that I know of is the BBC's South Asia site.
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