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How Bush and Rice made a mess of Pakistan. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine
Musharaf had promised elections, and stated that he would be "taking off his uniform" to signal a return to civilian rule, but he stated that he would not lift the state of emergency despite our repeated calls that he do so. Many have been calling for his complete removal from office.
Musharaf is in office due to his firing of the supreme court justices and he took control via military coup, yet a when we gave them this money Secretary of State Rice stated that Pakistan is a close US ally.
When this action of transferring such a large sum of money to Pakistan had been announced Democrats sent a letter to the president where they stated the importance of directing this aid money toward counter terrorism instead, but their advice was not heeded and the funds went to Pakistan anyway.
The rhetoric from the White House suggested that this was our way of getting democracy to that country and helping their people. With good reason, I remained skepticial that it was our desire for democracy elsewhere which was the driving force for sending such a huge sum of money.
Making this move even more curious was the fact that a fair electoral process would likely cause Musharaf to lose his seat in office. My contention was that, if he was truly agreeing to fair elections, then the money was more likely a bribe directly to him than it was for humanitarian-type aid.
Then, yesterday, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.
http://www.nytimes.c...uttocnd.html?hp
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She was killed on Thursday in a combined shooting and bombing attack at a rally in Rawalpindi, one of a series of open rallies she had insisted on holding since her return to Pakistan this fall, after years in self-imposed exile.
A woman of grand ambitions and a taste for complex political maneuvering, Ms. Bhutto, 54, was long the leader of the country’s largest opposition political party, founded by her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Even from exile, her leadership was firm, and when she returned, she proclaimed herself a tribune of democracy, leading rallies in opposition to Mr. Musharraf, like the one at which she died.
In a foreshadowing of the attack that killed her, a triumphal parade that celebrated her return to Pakistan in her home city of Karachi killed at least 134 of her supporters and wounded more than 400. Ms. Bhutto herself narrowly escaped harm.
Her political plans were also sidetracked: she had been negotiating for months with the country’s military leader, President Pervez Musharraf, over a power-sharing arrangement, only to see General Musharraf declare emergency rule instead.
A woman of grand ambitions and a taste for complex political maneuvering, Ms. Bhutto, 54, was long the leader of the country’s largest opposition political party, founded by her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Even from exile, her leadership was firm, and when she returned, she proclaimed herself a tribune of democracy, leading rallies in opposition to Mr. Musharraf, like the one at which she died.
In a foreshadowing of the attack that killed her, a triumphal parade that celebrated her return to Pakistan in her home city of Karachi killed at least 134 of her supporters and wounded more than 400. Ms. Bhutto herself narrowly escaped harm.
Her political plans were also sidetracked: she had been negotiating for months with the country’s military leader, President Pervez Musharraf, over a power-sharing arrangement, only to see General Musharraf declare emergency rule instead.
India calls Bhutto death terrible blow to democracy | Reuters
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India said the assassination of of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday was a tragedy and a terrible blow to the democratic process.
"In her death the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement.
"The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat."
Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack as she left an election rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, ahead of a national election due on Jan. 8.
"In her death the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement.
"The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat."
Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack as she left an election rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, ahead of a national election due on Jan. 8.
What are we doing as a people? How much more senseless must humanity become? How many of these proverbial straws will it take before the camel's back truly breaks?
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