Pakistan

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Musharraf Sets Date for Leaving Military

Bowing to pressure, Pakistani prez will stand down Wednesday

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf will prepare to be sworn in for a new term as Pakistan’s president by relinquishing his military post, a spokesman said today. The general has pledged to resign as head of the military before Thursday’s ceremony, the BBC reports. Musharraf has vowed to leave the military...

Sharif Joins Pakistan Fray
Sharif Joins Pakistan Fray
Nov 26, 2007 6:11 AM CST

Sharif Joins Pakistan Fray

Musharraf's bitterest rival files for elections, vows to boycott unless emergency rule is lifted

(Newser) - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan yesterday after 8 years in exile, today filed papers to run in January's nationwide election, although he says he will boycott the vote unless President Pervez Musharraf lifts emergency rule, the BBC reports. Sharif—who was welcomed by throngs of supporters ...

Sharif Vows to End Dictatorship
Sharif Vows to End Dictatorship
Nov 25, 2007 10:31 AM CST

Sharif Vows to End Dictatorship

Ex-PM lands in Lahore amid thousands of supporters, will file nomination papers

(Newser) - Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif touched down in Lahore after eight years in exile and, amid the cheers of thousands, vowed to end the dictatorship of President Pervez Musharraf: "We want democracy and nothing else."  Musharraf blocked Sharif's last  attempted return, in September, deporting him before he...

Supporters Detained as Sharif Flies to Pakistan

Exiled Pakistani PM says he has no deal with Musharraf

(Newser) - Troops today rounded up hundreds of supporters of exiled prime minister Nawaz Sharif as he was about to land back in Pakistan. Tens of thousands of activists were expected to greet Sharif as he returned, but soldiers were to keep them at bay. "Let's see what happens," Sharif...

Suicide Blasts Rock Rawalpindi
Suicide Blasts Rock Rawalpindi
Nov 24, 2007 5:45 AM CST

Suicide Blasts Rock Rawalpindi

15 to 35 dead in attacks near military headquarters

(Newser) - Two suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi today, killing up to 35 people and adding fuel to the political crisis that grips Pakistan. An explosives-laden van rammed a bus carrying Pakistani intelligence agents, leaving it a charred hulk. Another bomber hit...

Sharif Plans Return to Pakistan, Again

Exiled ex-PM has Musharraf's blessing this time, possible deal

(Newser) - Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister whom Pervez Musharraf deposed in his 1999 coup, is planning to return to Pakistan within days. Reuters reports that Sharif, who flew to Islamabad in September only to be promptly deported to Saudi Arabia, might be back in Pakistan in time to file for...

Commonwealth Boots Pakistan
Commonwealth Boots Pakistan
Nov 22, 2007 6:14 PM CST

Commonwealth Boots Pakistan

Group ignores Musharraf's plea, predicts 'severe' economic effects

(Newser) - Ten days after demanding democracy in Pakistan, the 53-nation Commonwealth yanked the country's membership today until Musharraf lifts military rule, the Times reports. The vote will nix hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and have "severe consequences for investment" for Pakistan's economy, a Commonwealth member said. 

Kangaroo Court Clears Way For Musharraf's 2nd Term

Imran Khan's party reacts with boycott of Jan. 8 elections

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf's kangaroo court wasted little time today in dismissing the last challenge to his October election victory, Reuters reports. The move paves the way for Musharraf to quit as army chief and assume a post as civilian president—which will dull international condemnations since he imposed emergency rule....

Musharraf May Quit Army Post by Saturday

Emergency rule eases; cricket star among thousands released

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf may quit his army post as soon as Saturday, the AP reports, and be immediately sworn in for his next five-year presidential term. The Supreme Court will likely declare tomorrow that Musharraf can continue to rule, and the Election Commission can then confirm his electoral victory from October....

40 Taliban Militants Killed in New Pakistan Battle

Area residents continue to flee as militants dig in

(Newser) - Dozens of Taliban militants have been killed in new fighting in northwest Pakistan, reports AP. Pakistani security forces moved into the Swat valley in the latest battle against supporters of hardline Islamic cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is calling for Islamist rule in the area. Militants from Afghanistan have been crossing...

Musharraf Leaves Home to Mend Fences

Sudden trip to Saudi Arabia likely attempt to forge deal with old foe

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf traveled to Saudi Arabia today, and the desperate Pakistani president may attempt to broker a power-sharing deal with the PM he ousted in a 1999 coup, Reuters reports. Nawaz Sharif has said he will not meet with Musharraf while emergency rule is in effect, but Musharraf relaxed the...

Musharraf or Bhutto? Bush Decision Looms

Power-sharing deal off, Washington will likely have to pick sides

(Newser) - As Pakistan's state of emergency wears on, the Bush administration is still hedging its bets on whether to withdraw support for Pervez Musharraf, Bloomberg reports. But now that a power-sharing deal with Benazir Bhutto is almost surely off the table, Bush may no longer be able to support both sides—...

Pakistan Frees 3,000 Prisoners
Pakistan Frees 3,000 Prisoners
Nov 20, 2007 5:57 AM CST

Pakistan Frees 3,000 Prisoners

Yet high-profile figures, including Khan, remain jailed

(Newser) - Pakistani police have released over 3,000 opposition activists—including lawyers and members of the political opposition—arrested since the suspension of the constitution on Nov. 3, Pakistan's interior ministry said today. Under pressure from Washington, President Pervez Musharraf, whose hand-picked court validated his reelection, is withdrawing some of the...

Kangaroo Court Gives Musharraf Thumbs Up

Prez may call end to emergency rule before January elections

(Newser) - Pakistan’s Supreme Court today shot down opposition to Pervez Musharraf’s re-election, an unsurprising turn given that Musharraf packed the court with allies. But with the ruling in hand, Musharraf may be ready to end emergency rule, the AP reports, something the US has demanded he do before January’...

US Aims to Enlist Tribes in Pakistan

Proposal would train, pay tribes to fight Taliban and al Qaeda

(Newser) - The US military would like to enlist Pakistani tribesmen in the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda, importing the strategy that's been used successfully in Anbar province in Iraq. The classified proposal would see more American military trainers heading for Pakistan—where we have only 50 troops now—and...

Pakistan Rebuffs US Demands
Pakistan Rebuffs US Demands
Nov 19, 2007 3:00 AM CST

Pakistan Rebuffs US Demands

Alarmed US warns it will not recognize elections under emergency rule

(Newser) - Alarmed at the deteriorating crisis in Pakistan, the US has made it clear it will not  recognize the results of elections held under emergency rule. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, on a special mission to Pakistan, failed to convince President Musharraf to free political prisoners, resign as army commander...

Holes Emerge in Secret US Shield of Pakistan Nukes

Pakistan refusing to share information

(Newser) - The US has secretly spent $100 million to safeguard Pakistan's nuclear weapons, but some officials fear protections may have been undermined by Pakistan's reluctance to share information. The aid, buried in a secret part of the budget, was intended to improve nuclear safety, reports the New York Times. But Pakistan...

Musharraf Won't Budge for US
Musharraf Won't Budge for US
Nov 17, 2007 1:29 PM CST

Musharraf Won't Budge for US

In further blow to power, president's political party calls for end to martial law

(Newser) - In a face-to-face meeting today with a top American diplomat, Pervez Musharraf remained tightlipped when pressed on when he would end emergency rule in Pakistan. Musharraf told John Negroponte he would cease martial law when security improves in the country, but his resistance is winning him few fans in Pakistan...

One Vote Against a Bhutto Deal
One Vote Against a Bhutto Deal
OPINION
Nov 16, 2007 4:30 PM CST

One Vote Against a Bhutto Deal

Former PM is 'hijacking' the democratic cause, writes her niece

(Newser) - Benazir Bhutto may be perceived as a champion of democracy, but a US-promoted third rise to power for the ousted prime minister would be a disaster for Pakistan, Bhutto’s niece writes in the LA Times. Bhutto “talks of democracy while asking to be brought to power by a...

Pakistan Ends Bhutto Detention
Pakistan Ends Bhutto Detention
Nov 15, 2007 7:29 PM CST

Pakistan Ends Bhutto Detention

Musharraf lifts house arrest, prepares for US diplomat

(Newser) - Benazir Bhutto has been released from house arrest and her detention orders withdrawn just hours before Pakistan's President Perzez Musharraf swears in an interim government of his choosing and a US diplomat arrives for talks, Reuters reports. "She is free to move wherever she likes," said a police...

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