In the latest news from Pakistan, it appears that opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has called for Gen. Musharraf to step down. She also ruled out a power sharing agreement with him in the future. The AP reports
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday called on President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to resign and ruled out serving under him in a future government after she was placed under house arrest for the second time in five days.
With the political turmoil deepening, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was headed to Pakistan and expected to reiterate Washington's calls for Musharraf to lift the state of emergency.
Musharraf's critics and chief international backers, including the United States, have said the restrictions imposed by the military leader — such as on independent media and rallies — would make it hard to hold a fair vote in upcoming parliamentary elections.
Bhutto was trapped in a padlocked house surrounded by thousands of riot police, trucks, tractors loaded with sand, and a row of metal barricades topped with barbed wire. She said it was now likely her Pakistan People's Party would boycott the January elections and ruled out serving another term as prime minister under Musharraf.
"I simply won't be able to believe anything he said to me," she told reporters by telephone from the house in Lahore where she was held to prevent her leading a protest procession.
Pakistan definitely deserves a close watch as this situation could have many unintended consequences. The US has propped up an unpopular government with Musharraf for many years and the people of Pakistan are not exactly falling over themselves to see him stay in power. The Law of Unintended Consequences could be rearing its ugly head...
No comments:
Post a Comment