Benazir Bhutto shows courage and determination in calling for Musharraf's ouster today

[bigtree]

AS our anti-democratic president declares himself satisfied with Musharraf's promises to remove his uniform and allow the January elections he's suspended to proceed sometime in February, the democratic process in Pakistan is still actively trying to gain ground with Pakistanis continuing to launch protests against their autocratic ruler.

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has continued to protest Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule and are actively submitting themselves to arrest, even as their leader was ordered under house arrest yesterday for the second time in four days to prevent her from leading protests against the U.S. supported strongman.

The latest order for her detention at home came after Ms. Bhutto came out with an unequivocal call for Musharraf to step down and announced plans for a three-day, cross-country protest convoy. "I think it's time for Gen. Musharraf to leave," Bhutto told NPR. "Ever since he took power, he has failed to build a democratic base. He said he would restore true democracy, but all he has done was twice impose martial law."

Many of her supporters have already begun the banned procession, despite the police barricading of Bhutto's neighborhood. The initial excuse from Pakistani authorities for the barricade was that they had obtained intelligence of another assassination attempt on her. The obvious result of the barricade, however, was the stifling of opposition to Musharraf's tyranny in arresting and detaining his political opponents and his suspension of the Pakistani press. Apparently, leaders of the governing party have been allowed to hold rallies, despite the state of emergency, without any similar interference from the government enforcers who have denied Ms. Bhutto her freedom of movement and her ability to organize her opposition.

With Bhutto's open and direct declaration that Musharraf should resign, there is now the prospect that she will align with other opposition groups in challenging his self-imposed rule. There was earlier speculation that she might join with Musharraf and share power, but, in a statement on Geo TV, Bhutto said, "I could not serve as prime minister with Gen. Musharraf as president . . . I will not be able to work with Gen. Musharraf because I simply won't be able to believe anything he says to me."

So, here we are, with our lame-duck imperialist showing no sign of pulling back or even threatening to limit the millions of our tax dollars which support the power-grabbing general in his dictatorship. Where is the concern from this White House for the democratic process in Pakistan they've given so much lip service to? All of the influence of Bush's office is invested in maintaining their political ally in power, despite the growing unpopularity of Musharraf in Pakistan and despite his undeniably anti-democratic actions. There has been no threat of any sanction at all from the administration in protest of Musharraf's denial of democracy and against his open coup of Pakistan's democratic institutions.

The most disturbing aspect of Musharraf's crackdown is his equating of his suppression of protests from his political opposition to a fight against 'Islamic militants'. A statement issued by the UN Human Rights Council expressed concern over that linkage. “We condemn the retaliation measures, including the abuse of the notion of terrorism, against those who are expressing their dissent against the imposition of the state of emergency," the statement said.

That linkage is precisely the same approach Bush has taken to opposition to his imperialist advances across sovereign borders in the name of fighting 'terrorism.' It's no surprise to find him in solidarity with the Pakistani strongman against the democratic expressions of those who would resist the imposition of Musharraf's anti-democratic crackdown. But, if there is any sincerity at all in Bush's bleatings about the importance of 'freedom,' 'liberty,' or democracy, he will need to rethink his interfering expressions of confidence in Musharraf and acknowledge the courage and determination of opposition leaders like Ms. Bhutto and her supporters as they struggle to make democracy in Pakistan more than the mere political rhetoric he is so 'positive' about.


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[spanone]

1. meanwhile, the usa supports the suspension of their constitution and arrest of their lawyers

and intellectuals.

[bigtree]

3. right. de facto support, effective with Bush's disregard of the legitimate opposition

I see he's called for the 'emergency' decree to be lifted before the elections, but the prospect of the anti-democratic offender -- still in power -- elaborating on his suppression of his political opponents is a chilling one. There is no way that democracy can proceed with a demonstrated tyrant in place to meddle and interfere with the process. Bush is intimately familiar the imposition of assumed authority. He's institutionally ignorant and dismissive of vital instigations of democracy like dissent.

[chelsea0011]

2. House arrest to new exile coming up, me thinks

Musharaaf will kick her out of the country. And will the media stop referring to Pakistan as a democracy. That ended when Musharaaf took control via military coup-d'tat.

[bigtree]

8. there's obviously no democracy in Pakistan

but there are many instigations of democracy from the political parties there (dissent, organization by the political opposition) which hope to transform the government (and the electoral process) to bring about democracy in Pakistan.

I'm not convinced that he can turn the clock back by kicking her out again. She's developing into the most prominent face of the increasing opposition to Musharraf.

[Sam Ervin jret]

4. We Constitution lovers owe Musharraf a debt of gratitude.

He is giving anyone with eyes to see an eagles view of what a Bush administration will look like if another "shock" in the form of an attack, or threat of illness were to come to our shores.

I hope people are paying attention and taking notes. Bush is just waiting for the right moment to take a step like this. We have been forwarded. Between the book on shock politics and this Musharraf action we should not be caught off guard again. The next "shock" must not disarm us to the point of distraction, but should rather arm us with a healthy dose of distrust for all things patronizing, oversimplified, over-patriotic, nationalistic, blame filled, and "certain."

[bigtree]

9. it's always the case with this administration

. . . that it's naive and irresponsible to put anything beyond them in their hunger for power and influence. In a case of a hypothetical Executive coup disguised as a rescue from disaster, it's prospect for success would depend on the will of our representatives to wrest power back and oust the usurpers. I'd like to believe we have a Congress that would measure up to that challenge to their own authority . . .

[KharmaTrain]

5. The Army Has The Ultimate Say

Bhutto represents the "secular" part of this very divided country. It's the professionals and the cities...versus the clerics in the rural areas. Sitting atop with all the power is the military. Musharaf's game was to balance these forces and as long as he did, he remained in power. Now that balance has been upset and how this game plays out is anyone's guess, but I'll put my money on the military having the final say and it probably will be without Musharaf.

Bhutto is attemptng to play the Corizone Acquino of Pakistan, but with a U.S. government that is even more ham-handed now than it was in the Phillipines in '86. If the military sees her as a conduit for US cash, they may tolerate her...but as of yet, it doesn't look like that's the signal they're getting.

Musharaf claiming he's fighting "Islamic militants" could come home to haunt him as well as its some of those very "militants" within his own military who have been getting backdoor money from the Saudis for years and could revolt if he gets too cozy to Bhutto. This mess represents the power vaccuum happening in the region...the clashes within their own societies.

[bigtree]

10. on Bhutto . . .

another interesting perspective: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_by_salee_071113_emergency_rule_and_h.htm


November 13, 2007 at 04:59:53

Emergency Rule and Hope for Pakistan

Miss Bhutto was in self-imposed exile while under a cloud of corruption and money laundering charges at both home and abroad. She and her playboy husband, who was in charge of investments of the Bhutto government, stole over $1 billion, according to the Pakistan press. She was actually convicted of money laundering in Swiss courts, with the case currently under appeal. She is a graduate of Harvard and Oxford but is unable to divorce herself from her feudal upbringing. She is the chairperson for life of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founded by her illustrious father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In making her party’s political and financial decisions she exhibits little taste and patience for democracy. Her father, head of the first elected government, paid the ultimate price for his stance on democracy and for trying to uphold national interests. He was hanged by the U.S.-supported Gen. Zia. His crime? Opposition to the military rule.

The fact that Miss Bhutto received a warm welcome in the streets of Karachi on her recent return from exile in Dubai shows that she continues to be popular among the people. These events show how desperate the people are for a participatory democratic order. People remember her father’s sacrifices for them and his country. This is why people are willing to forget her past and want to give her another chance. Another reason might be the absence of a credible leader at this time. One interesting point regarding her exile in Dubai and during her frequent visits to London and Washington, people in Pakistan did not seem to miss her. It is only her belated presence in Pakistan that appears to have made a huge political significance . . .

[donsu]

6. actually Bhutto is one of smirk's women

nt

[bigtree]

7. she may well prove to be just that,

but if her efforts (and those of her supporters) manage to wrest power from Musharraf and spark a free and fair election, she'll be democracy's woman in Pakistan.

[bigtree]

11. Bhutto closing ranks with other opponents of Musharraf -- One prominent leader detained

Opponent of Musharraf Is Detained in Pakistan

{snip}

Benazir Bhutto has started to rally opposition parties into a coordinated movement against General Musharraf, her party spokeswoman, Sherry Rehman, said in an interview today.

Ms. Bhutto, a former prime minister who has been placed under house arrest in Lahore, has contacted the main opposition parties and has received a favorable response, Ms. Rehman said. ”She wants a one-point agenda — the restoration of democracy,” Ms. Rehman said.

”This is a logical reaction to the events of the last week and the brutal behavior of the state,” Ms. Rehman said. ”They have locked up not only her, but thousands of party workers. The whole central leadership is under house arrest.”

{snip}

Mr. Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician and a vociferous opponent of General Musharraf, was seized today by hard-line students angered at his presence on a university campus in Lahore and handed over to police, witnesses said. He was the only major opposition political figure not placed under detention since General Musharraf imposed emergency rule in Pakistan on Nov. 3.

Mr. Khan, a style icon and symbol of defiance for youth here, was expected to ”make a speech to the students to rally them against Musharraf,’’ said Saloni Bokhari, the president of the women’s wing of Mr. Khan’s political party

At around noon, to the delight of his student supporters, Mr. Khan suddenly appeared. Several students hoisted the opposition leader triumphantly into the air. Mr. Khan, visibly pleased by the reception, was making a victory sign when he was seized by students belonging to Islami Jamiat-e-Talba, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The students hustled Khan into a nearby building and detained him there for about an hour. ”We have taken him inside to prevent him from arrest and to make sure he joins the protest in an organized manner,’’ said one of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba students.

Mr. Khan was then put in a white van and driven off campus, where police arrested him. As the van moved through the melee, students smashed its windows . . .

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/world/asia/14cnd-pakistan.html?hp