Top Judge Calls for 'Rise Up' Against Musharraf's Emergency Rule

Top Judge Calls for 'Rise Up' Against Musharraf's Emergency Rule

news.bbc.co.uk

Pakistan's sacked chief justice has called for the people to "rise up" and restore the constitution.

In a telephone address to lawyers in Islamabad, Iftikhar Chaudhry criticised President Pervez Musharraf, who imposed a state of emergency on Saturday.

He said the constitution had been "ripped to shreds" by Gen Musharraf and added it was now "time for sacrifices".

US President George W Bush has called on Gen Musharraf to end the emergency and restore democratic civilian rule.

(visit the link for the full news article)



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Lawyers and political opponents are rallying for three days and are calling for strikes. In his address judge Chaudhry said:
"The lawyers should convey my message to the people to rise up and restore the constitution".

The lawyers chanted slogans such as "There will be war till the constitution is restored" and "Chaudhry we are ready to die for you".

You can't imagine something like that happen in America - or Europe. It is happening in another world from there. A world not even CIA has much control over.

No, it won't go down well in Washington, what is about to happen to Pakistan. They don't know what to do.

As this note from Bloomberg shows.

Musharraf's Emergency Decree Leaves U.S. Waiting for Outcome



With an intelligence apperatus partly in favor of Al Qaida I wonder what kind of offers the Americans will be giving Musharraf, what else do they have? Threats of removing (military) aid is hardly an option with China in the corridor happy to suply what they would miss from US.

"Forced to await developments" isn't Washington's usual style. something they don't know ...or they simply don't understand.

Nor do I, except that this can be bloody.


news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

A testamony on Madrasas and U.S. Aid to Pakistan before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs

Lacking a civilian constituency, Musharraf remains as dependent today on the religious parties, particularly his coalition partner in the Balochistan government, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the pro-Taliban party, and the major partner in the MMA alliance, to counter his moderate civilian opposition. The JUI runs the largest network of Deobandi madrasas in Pakistan. Not only are most sectarian, jihadi madrasas associated with the Deobandi sect, the JUI’s madrasa network also provides sanctuary, support and recruits to the Taliban and their Pakistani militant allies. The JUI-led Balochistan and NWFP governments also actively promote religious vigilantism and are responsible for the creeping Talibanization of Pakistan’s predominantly Pashtun tribal belt.

The military’s policy of appeasing homegrown militants in Pakistan’s tribal belt has focused on peace deals that have amnestied pro-Taliban militants. The military’s virtual retreat to the barracks, ceding control over this strategic region bordering on Afghanistan to the Islamist radicals, has given the Taliban a secure base of operations. Emboldened Taliban and their Pakistani allies are now targeting U.S. and Afghan troops across the border and imposing oppressive Taliban-style policing and court systems in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The implications of the military government’s policies are more than evident.

So the strategy of Musharraf is to hand feed the religious extremists, when represented in parlament to secure their support.

This double headed dog is clearly serving two masters, the extremists and their sectarian agenda, and Washington, his ally in the fight against the very same agenda.

No wonder White House is unable to predict his moves, and more significant don't have any counter meassures against them except nuking, like Armitrage threatened to do if they didn't join the WoT. No matter true intentions, you join under such a threat.

The bad blood of the family runs stronger however than the thin infuted stuff given by the alliance.

The problem with Pakistan is, as an entity it can hardly be called a nation. It is, in same way as with Iraq, a purely artificial construction only set up by the former imperial powers to take them out the mess. That strategy of dealing with symptoms instead of cause is now, half a century later coming back to haunt the very same powers.

Pakistn is made up of people of such ethnic diversity as Sinds (Iranian), Punjabis (Brahman), Pasthuns (Afghan) beside a myriad of tribes of Uzbek, Turk, Mongolian and other origines. That Pakistan is a tribal society makes loyalty to a central government practically impossible. Balochistan, the biggest province is a good example.

Musharraf’s authoritarian rule has deprived them of participatory, representative avenues to articulate demands and to voice grievances. Politically and economically marginalised, many Baloch see the insurgency as a defensive response to the perceived colonisation of their province by the Punjabi-dominated military.

From Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan.

The opening argument of the article goes:

The killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in August 2006 sparked riots and will likely lead to more confrontation. The conflict could escalate if the government insists on seeking a military solution to what is a political problem and the international community, especially the U.S., fails to recognise the price that is involved for security in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Actually the key to the parliamentary dependence of generally Taliban friendly Pasthuns lies in Balochistan. A further alienation to Islamabad in its plans for development of the province is emminent. Those plans include:

exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources without giving the province its due share;
construction of further military garrisons to strengthen an already extensive network of military bases; and
centrally driven and controlled economic projects, such as the Gwadar deep sea port, that do not benefit locals but raise fears that the resulting influx of economic migrants could make the Baloch a minority in their homeland.

[---]

Reliance on the Pashtun religious parties to counter its Baloch opposition has strengthened Pashtun Islamist forces at the cost of the moderate Baloch. With their chief Pakistani patron, Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam running the Balochistan government in alliance with Musharraf’s Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam), a reinvigorated Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are attacking international forces and the Kabul government across Balochistan’s border with Afghanistan. But the international community, particularly the U.S. and its Western allies, seem to ignore the domestic and regional implications of the Balochistan conflict, instead placing their faith in a military government that is targeting the anti-Taliban Baloch and Pashtuns and rewarding pro-Taliban Pashtun parties.

With the federal government refusing to compromise with its Baloch opponents, intent on a military solution to a political problem and ignoring local stakeholders in framing political and economic policies, the directions of the conflict are clear. The military can retain control over Balochistan’s territory through sheer force, but it cannot defeat an insurgency that has local support.



SOURCE | crisisgroup.org | Read more...

I'm afraid that's what it's going to end up in, insurgency. Tribal groups between and against the central government, as well as any occupational forces.

Pakistan, a word coined as late as 1934, will hardly have an enduring existence among states, I am afraid. The emergency decree might be the prelude to an end.

Musharraf vows polls in February Nothing more than oil poured on troubled water, in a hope to calm down PKK's announced massrally in Rawalpindi on Friday. I thought I would post some important links on Pakistan and its crises before then.



Ms Bhutto have declared to go ahead with rallies till her demands are met. They are Musharraf steps down as chief ofarmy and elections held in January, beside the arrested opposition from the battle with the lawyers to be released immediately.



The other two articles is about US involvement, which since 9/11 have been practically chessmate and a very little turn back on their terror fighting dollars to Pakistan.



It's never too late, not when you don't know what to do anyway.

A French OP on Washington's situation. The Pakistani Accident



Anything can happen Friday.

Bhutto's House Surrounded by Police


Today's massrally in Rawalpindi has been hindred by authorities.



Security reasons are stated, and I very well understand that, the fragile constuction of Pakistan has never been at greater risk.



It's hard to keep law and order in a country where lawyers throw stones at the police.

Today the march from Lahore to Islamabad should have been launched, as it was proclaimed by Bhutto. Like in the case of the intended massrally, massive police presence hindered any attemp.

Bhutto calls on Musharraf to quit


Bhutto herself said this in a hardened statement from, what is now her official house arrest in Lahore. Huge demonstrations are taking place there continiously.




As for the lawyers, who started their protest about a week ago, here's an article on how
Intelligentsia Finds Ways to Beat Emergency Rule

Families and friends expected the detainees to be released sooner. Many belong to the intellectual and social cream of society -- professors, lawyers, journalists, artists, economists, former ministers and retired army officials. But their powerful connections were useless this time. The relative of one detained activist who managed to get through to a ‘very high level official’ was told that the local and provincial administration was helpless. "The orders came from the very top, to teach these people a lesson," the official reportedly said.

The regime has been particularly brutal on the legal community for refusing to accept new judges sworn in under emergency orders. The judges of the superior courts who refused to take oath under these orders were placed under house arrest and thousands of lawyers imprisoned around the country. Many were brutally beaten before being hauled off. Hundreds have been charged under the anti-terrorism laws.


SOURCE | ipsnews.net | Read more...

Negroponte in Pakistan


Ms Bhutto has been freed from house arrest and presses on with her demands of end to emergency rule, Musharraf step down as head of armay and elections on time.

USA have finally taken action, they have sent hitman John Negroponte.

Meanwhile Musharraf has been on.



He claims Ms Bhutto's party stands to lose as it is now, but in an effort to gain attention for her agitation she wants to stir up trouble.



No need for threatning to nuke ...yet.