Webloggin » The Problem With Pakistan

Update II: Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, urged people via cell phone to protest against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s “state of emergency”, calling it a dictatorship.

Update: Pakistani police using force to stop demonstrations. More than 1,500 people have been arrested in the last 48 hours and the news media has been cut off.

This is what everyone should be talking.

In a power move President Pervez Musharraf declares martial law, although they are not calling it that. The official line is that it is a “state of emergency”.

President Musharraf obtained his current political position via a coup and this move is perceived as the same.

Although “nuclear” Pakistan is becoming increasingly unstable, this move has been criticized by the United States as a major setback towards democracy.

The WSJ reports:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quick to criticize Mr. Musharraf’s move and said yesterday that the U.S. would review its financial aid to Pakistan, which has amounted to more than $10 billion over the past five years (most of it for the military). Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement urging the Administration to “move from a Musharraf policy to a Pakistan policy.” That oversimplifies both current U.S. policy and the options going forward, but it should indicate to General Musharraf how his “second coup,” as some are calling it, will be received in Washington.

Mr. Musharraf defends his emergency decree as a response to rising Islamic militancy and political instability caused by an interfering judiciary. But the timing and his sacking of the chief justice of the Supreme Court suggest that the general was mainly interested in pre-empting a ruling on his recent re-election, which the opposition boycotted. The high court was expected to make a decision soon on that October referendum, and the General couldn’t be sure of the outcome.

One thing is for sure, Pakistan is a huge problem. On the one hand, we have the Pakistani President who seems to be willing to work with the United States toward a freer, more western friendly society although this recent move does not necessarily show that. On the other hand, radical Islam is on the rise in Pakistan and if a democratic vote for a new leader manages to manifest it could very well put radical Islam at the helm of a nuclear country. I do not think that the people of Pakistan necessarily want to have this happen, but out of their fears it very well could.

Whatever the case, this is what we call a major conundrum.

Others:
Michelle Malkin, Bernie at The HILL Chronicles, The Daily Standard