PAKISTAN

Redrawing the Lines

As the Bhutto-Musharraf standoff continues, the former prime minister's uncompromising stand has heartened a beleaguered Pakistani opposition.

By Ron Moreau | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 13, 2007 | Updated: 1:11  p.m. ET Nov 13, 2007

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  • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 11/18/2007 4:24:10 AM

    Musharraf has to do what he has to do. In these seemingly chaotic situation someone has to take full control of the country until things get better. Bhutto , Shariff and the like would not make any difference (improvement e.g economy, and the overall well being) to Pakistan. Their main purpose is to destablise and gain power and then continue with their corrupt practices all over again. The people of Pakistan have no choice but to choose the lesser devil, unless of course if the US decides to send them back to the stone age.

  • Posted By: lovejusticepeace @ 11/17/2007 7:05:05 AM

    Musharrraf blames everybody except himself !!!
    Emergency declared because militants are trying to destabilise Pakistan.
    The lawyers are the reason for declaring Emergency.
    Benazir Bhutto has precipitated Emergency.
    Terrorists like Imran Khan and 9 year old school children have forced Emergency.
    Emergency in Pakistan is the work of Indian agents.
    International Press is to be blamed for highlighting Pakistan,which has led to Emergency !!!

  • Posted By: nazia @ 11/15/2007 8:14:12 AM

    Look at the scene in Pakistan. Benazir is safe and sound in police custody and appealing to poor people to come to streets for her support.Her famliy is enjoying the liberty and luxurious life style in dubai. Nawaz and his family is living in palace in saudia . Mussaraf is enjoying his absolute powers in president palace and let full freedom to police to remove all from scenes whom are annoying him.Victims are lawyers, judges, media men, liberal society or those who dare to show their hatred for present regime are brutally handled by law enforcing agencies.Does it indicate republic of Pakistan has become a mafia state or as per said by Mussarf "A failed state"?Mussarf himself declared many times in this week that there is serious turmoil in the state and he completley forgets he held two top offices of Govt for last many many years. Things are very clear and visible but western interests are so dominant that all national priorities are put into garbage.Now we should request Mussarf to change his motto as US comes first then us and in the end its Pakistan. If he start saying like that then we could change our opinion about him that he can sometime dare to speak truth and only truth.

  • Posted By: newsmapi @ 11/14/2007 1:16:44 AM

    Feel sorry for Benazir. The former, dishonest, and a corrupt P.M. is now even ditched by Musharaf, who originally was going to come up with a power sharing deal with her, thanks to foreign pressure (mostly from the US).

    Unfortunately for Pakistan while Musharaf is a dictator, there are no better alternatives at the moment. Having seen Bhutto and Nawaz looting the country in the past, people may just live under dictatorship for sometime. No wonder masses are not ready to mobilize. They do not see any better option. Imran Khan is probably the only honest politician, (and the next leader) but lacks enough public support to form a Govt. Pakistanis may just be content with few more years of dictatorship, for now till they see possibly Khan emerging into a real force.

    Musharaf has however put himself in a corner where there are no easy decisions. It would be interesting to see how things pan out in the next couple of weeks. We are looking more towards Husne Mubarak like autocracy in the near future.
    -Ahmed , Toronto, CA

  • Posted By: FarooqinCA @ 11/13/2007 4:12:18 PM

    So the two corrupt ex-leaders (Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif) are trying to have a hum-dinger so they can get into power and loot the country some more? That independent Justice and the rest of the court should have pressed ahead with the corruption charges and put both of them in jail. It raises questions about the courts independence..

    Why doesn't your report highlight the ills of Benazir Bhutto's and Nawaz Sharif's regime with equal glory as her house arrest? Do some investigative reporting instead of providing sensationalism about a bunch of illetrate or opportunists folks shouting and screaming in the streets. And just for record, the terrorists where training well before Musharaff came to power . They had already struck US embassies in Africa and were well on their way to strike US (9/11).

    The ills of the country need to be addressed. The current creed of civilian leaders, most of them corrupt to the hilt, is not it. Come to think about it, martial law there is not bad as long as it puts the country on development path and gets rid of the terrorists.

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