President Musharraf could declare a state of emergency in Pakistan amid growing civil unrest against his increasingly embattled regime.
Security forces were placed on high alert yesterday, detaining hundreds of activists on the eve of an anti-government rally in Karachi. Rival demonstrations are planned by supporters of General Musharraf, raising fears of violent clashes in the southern port city today.
An extra 15,000 police and paramilitary troops have been deployed to Karachi where the country’s Chief Justice, who was suspended by General Musharraf, is expected to urge his supporters to step up their campaign of opposition to the Government. General Musharraf, a key US ally in the War on Terror, removed Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on March 9 for alleged misconduct. His action triggered violent protests in defence of the judiciary, which had previously enjoyed a degree of independence under the military-backed regime.
Opposition to General Musharraf’s alleged attack on the independence of the judiciary was initially led by lawyers’ associations and rights groups striving to bring Pakistan under the rule of law. But the protests have evolved into a pro-democracy movement, with broad support across Pakistan that extends well beyond earlier antigovernment demonstrations that were led by radical Islamic groups.
Late this evening, reports that two opposition organizers have been reported killed.
UPDATE:
A senior security official said opposition parties supporting the chief justice and pro-Musharraf activists were exchanging gunfire in seven parts of the city, one of them half a mile (less than a kilometre) from the airport.
“At least 12 people have died in clashes which are continuing in seven separate parts of the city, and three were killed earlier in targeted attacks,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
It’s official folks, since 9/11 i have tried to be tolerant about Islam and how a few trouble makers have hijacked it.
But as the swamp is slowly drain here in the west and now the middle east, the World would be better off if we just let the Muslims slaughter each other for their version of Allah and the real peaceful ones will be left behind.
The denial and paranoia is crazy, plus the CBC won’t even name a self-professed jihadist and suicide bomber as a Muslim because the CRTC is run by the Shariah-law Muslim like Sheema Khan from CAIR and Elmasry from the CIC and Omar Al-Ghabra in the liberals who was in the CAF that coaches Arabs and Muslim to avoid help canada expose terrorists.
Now Derick Lee and Al-Ghabra are endorsing a Shariah-law event hosted by the thugs in the USA at ISNA and the MSA from Concordia that rioted and damaged tax funded property to stop a Jews from speaking on Campus.
Enough already , go kill each other and let us live in peace so Irshad manji and Tarek fatah won’t get death threats as apostate to be killed under Shariah law as Theo van Gogh was in broad daylight.
Pain and war seem to be where ever islam is, poverty has nothing to do with terrorism.
After spitting in NATO/Canada/US eye when asked to help clean up musim extremists operating in his borders, who will Mush-mouth run to when the mad bombin mullahs are strapping c-4 to goat hearders and aiming them at the parliament gates?
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
Goatbusters!
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good
Who you gonna call?
Goatbusters!
I ain’t afraid of no goats
I ain’t afraid of no goats
“A senior security official said opposition parties supporting the chief justice and pro-Musharraf activists were exchanging gunfire in seven parts of the city, one of them half a mile (less than a kilometre) from the airport.”
Democratic process ME stle.
Lets jump in the wayback machine and look at a previous co-operation in oppisition to an autocratic regime in the “muslim world”…never did like that definition. Kind of like saying the Berlusconi was Prime Minister of a country in the “Catholic World”
Anyway, 1978/79 secular opposition united with the religous opposition in Iran. They combined and overthrew the Shah. However, despite their best efforts to continue the co-operation the islamists were on top. Like all revolutions there is a brutal purge that follows to get to ideological purity, happens when one member of the coalition is violent by nature and ideology.
Warning to any Pakistani secularists, and there are many (there is a hige moderate/secular “western friendly constituency in Pakistan), that co-operation with the islamists will not lead to where you want but to something worse. If you want to oppose Musharref then do so through your own means.
Remember Iran and see your fate otherwise. The fascists will run your country otherwise.
…funny how those doomsday clock watchers never include Middle East countries setting the fuse off to the BIG ONE.
If Pakistan falls, the domino effect will be felt world wide.
Welcome to Kanuckistan.
The Yukon is looking better every day…
i am sure the indian armed forces are watching with interest.
the question is what do the pakistani middle class want and will they fight to keep it….this could get very ugly very fast
Musharraf knows what he’s up against and there are no easy or quick solutions.
“Muslims would still be, as Pakistan’s General Musharraf told a conference the other day, “the poorest, the most illiterate, the most backward, the most unhealthy, the most unenlightened, the most deprived, and the weakest of all the human race.”
Mark Steyn – The Face Of The Tiger February 25th 2002
Musharraf is riding a tiger. The Pakistani army has traditionally been secular, but it is filling with islamists at high levels. It’s only a matter of time. Then the nutjobs get that cesspool of a country, and it’s nuclear weapons. Be glad you don’t live in India.
The army may have been secular but the ISI was and is Islamist….remeber Pakistan was FOUNDED as a state for muslims. It is a a religous state not a nation state.
But it was not traditionally a radically islamist state, although the elements existed. It is an odd place with signifcant parts demanding to be left in their old ways and parts, the prosperous southwest, desiring to be part of the modern world.
Musharef needs support from one side or the other to survive. He currntly has been able to play both sides against each other. If the opposition unites he is a dead man but as I said the islamist side of that opposition will ultimately triumph as they did in Iran through sheer bruatlity and focus, they have more guns and desire to use them.
If you are secular or desire a non religous government in Pakistan you are stuck between a military dictatorship and a potential religous dictatorship…..not much of a choice.