Pakistan

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Pakistani Urges US to Oppose Elections

Restore judges first to stabilize the country, politician says

(Newser) - A Pakistani politician turned heads last week by touting a rare view to US policymakers: Don't back Pakistan's elections. Without an independent judiciary, elections will only hurt the country, Imran Khan warned. He urged lawmakers in New York and Washington to "back the democratic process, by insisting on the...

Musharraf Nixes Greater CIA Role in Pakistan

In secret meetings, US spy chiefs sought larger combat role

(Newser) - Washington's top two intelligence officials made a secret trip to Pakistan this month "to convince Musharraf that time is ticking," the New York Times reports, quoting senior officials. DNI director Mike McConnell and CIA chief Michael Hayden sought greater latitude for the CIA to operate in Pakistan's near-lawless...

New Leader Has Pakistan's Taliban on Rise

Baitullah Mehsud, blamed for Bhutto killing, a unifying force

(Newser) - Pakistan’s increasingly organized Islamist insurgency has a powerful new leader in Baitullah Mehsud, the man accused of masterminding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. A Time profile reveals Mehsud to be formidably charismatic individual possessing a “laser-like focus” to rival even that of mentor Mullah Omar, the leader of...

Pakistan Pounds Enclave of Militant Leader

Troops, tanks and helicopters attack Mehsud's mountain hideout

(Newser) - The Pakistani army has launched an assault on Baitullah Mehsud’s forces in Waziristan, reports the Guardian. The Pakistani government suspects Mehsud, a militant leader who has spent time in Guantanamo, of masterminding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The army claimed 40 kills, while Mehsud’s side said they only...

Musharraf Courts Wary Europeans
Musharraf Courts Wary Europeans

Musharraf Courts Wary Europeans

Pledges free elections, nuclear security, no coddling Al-Qaeda

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf visited Brussels yesterday and Paris today, reassuring leaders that Pakistan will hold fair elections and promising complete security for the nation's nuclear arsenal. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned the Pakistani president that future cooperation between the EU and his government is contingent on those criteria, reports...

2 More Busted in Bhutto Slaying
2 More Busted in Bhutto Slaying

2 More Busted in Bhutto Slaying

One man spotted in front of slain leader's vehicle

(Newser) - Two more men suspected of involvement in former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination were arrested yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports, based on information from an investigator. One of the men appears to be visible in video footage of the attack, standing in front of Bhutto’s vehicle. On...

Countrywomen Rate Bhutto's Feminist Legacy

Ex-PM advanced women's rights; but not as much as hoped

(Newser) - Benazir Bhutto wasn't always a staunch defender of women's rights, but for Pakistani women the fight for gender equality is a lot tougher now that she's gone. Bhutto may have jump-started women's health care and job programs, but she missed opportunities to repeal harsh anti-egalitarian laws—failures her defenders chalk...

Teen Busted in Bhutto Killing
Teen Busted in Bhutto Killing

Teen Busted in Bhutto Killing

Youth says he was part of team dispatched by militant linked to al-Qaeda

(Newser) - Pakistani authorities have arrested a teenage suspect in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, reports the AP. The 15-year-old said he was part of a five-person team sent to Rawalpindi by Baitullah Mehsud, a militant tribal leader affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said. A spokesman...

CIA Chief Names Groups Behind Bhutto Assassination

Pakistani militants, al-Qaeda blamed

(Newser) - The CIA director blames a cooperative effort by al-Qaeda and a group of Pakistani militants for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the Washington Post reports. The conclusion jibes with the explanation Pervez Musharraf has offered, though some Pakistanis still suspect the president and his government had a hand in the...

Musharraf Says He'd Consider Stepping Down

'On the day people don't want me, I will leave,' he tells Der Spiegel

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf will consider resigning if his public approval continues to erode, Der Spiegel reports in a wide-ranging interview to be published tomorrow. "On the day I think the people, the majority, don't want me anymore and the day I have no contribution to make to this country, I...

Bhutto's Niece Calls Party Undemocratic

Young writer says Benazir backers 'cash in on her blood'

(Newser) - Some call her the real heir to slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, but Fatima Bhutto, the ex-PM's estranged niece, rejects her claim to “the family business,” the Times of London reports. In fact, the 25-year-old columnist living in Pakistan called the idea of enshrined Bhutto power “dangerous"...

Policeman: Sudden Crowd Stopped Bhutto's Car

New reports deepen mystery around assassination

(Newser) - New reports on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto point to the killing being a well-organized plot and suggest Musharraf's government knows more than it claims, McClatchy reports. A police witness says a crowd that appeared to be Bhutto supporters surged into the road and stopped her car. When she emerged...

Stay Out of Pakistan, Musharraf Warns US

America would 'regret day' border is breached

(Newser) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he won't tolerate increased American activity against terrorist insurgents inside his country, warning in an interview in a Singapore newspaper that American troops will be treated as invaders if they cross the border from Afghanistan. The US would "regret that day" if it proceeds...

Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 23
Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 23

Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 23

Explosion near lawyers' protest site targeted police

(Newser) - A suicide bomb attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore has left 23 people dead, the majority police officers, and wounded 70 others. The explosion occurred at a police checkpoint near the city's high court, where a large protest by Pakistan's lawyers was set to take place, reports Bloomberg. Local...

Murder of 8 Tribal Leaders Stalls Ceasefire

Deaths derail peace talks in lawless northwest Pakistan

(Newser) - Eight tribal leaders were shot to death in northwest Pakistan yesterday, the Times of London reports, further roiling the near-anarchic area. The assailants are believed to be Islamic militants. The chiefs had formed a peace committee and were involved in efforts to broker a ceasefire between the military and insurgents...

Bhutto's Death Her Own Fault: Musharraf

'It was she to blame alone—nobody else,' tells '60 Minutes'

(Newser) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has absolved his own government—and everyone else—of culpability in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, telling "60 Minutes" that she alone was to blame for her death. "For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone—nobody else....

Outdated Parade Cover Bares Bhutto's Death Fears

Chilling interview before her assassination

(Newser) - "Is Benazir Bhutto America's best hope against al-Qaeda?" asks the front page of this week's Parade magazine. The issue, which features an interview with the soon-to-be-assassinated Pakistani leader, went to press almost a week before Bhutto was killed. Faced with the choice of running the issue with the outdated...

Washington Eyes Shadowy Terror Leader

Pakistan, US experts say jihadist likely killed Bhutto

(Newser) - Washington is zoning in on a new jihadist leader after recent reports blamed him for killing former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto, Newsweek reports. Named Baitullah Mehsud, he travels with tight security in a safe haven of Pakistan, has never been photographed, and avoids sleeping in the same place twice. Yet...

James Spain Dead at 81
James Spain Dead at 81

James Spain Dead at 81

Career diplomat served as US Ambassador in Tanzania, Turkey & Sri Lanka

(Newser) - James Spain, a career diplomat in the US Foreign Service, passed away of natural causes in Wilmington, NC at age 81 on January 2, 2008.  Ambassador Spain's life was devoted to serving his country first in the US Army as a photographer on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in occupied...

CIA May Launch New Covert Ops in Pakistan

Seeks to thwart al-Qaeda muscle; but Pakistan won't stand for it

(Newser) - Bush administration officials are weighing plans for the CIA and US military to conduct new, more aggressive covert operations in Pakistan, the New York Times reports. The proposal is a response to growing al-Qaeda and Taliban efforts to destabilize Pakistan, cast in sharp focus by the assassination of former prime...

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