ThePoliticalCat: World: Martial Law Declared In Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf

AFP is reporting that Musharraf has declared martial law in Pakistan, suspending the Supreme Court and cutting off all land and mobile communication lines. Television channels were also apparently shut down.

Pervez Musharraf had been negotiating a power-sharing arrangement with Benazir Bhutto, a move that had been pushed by the U.S. and Britain, despite the fact that Bhutto and her government have given ample evidence of corruption. Bhutto has warned that her opposition party will not tolerate a declaration of emergency by Musharraf.

Musharraf had originally pledged to step down from power no later than November 17, if he did not win the elections. However, through his ministers, he had previously hinted at the possibility of declaring a state of emergency if the court overturned his election.

The court has announced that it will not be cowed by the ministers' hints.

We continue to support this petty, tinpot dictator - ruler of a regime that houses the infamous A.Q. Khan who has openly provided nuclear technology to regimes hostile to the U.S. A despot who has refused to take any action whatsoever on Khan except to place him under supposed "house arrest," which has not prevented Khan from meeting with representatives of hostile regimes or publishing scientific papers detailing information on nuclear weapons technology.

Musharraf continues to turn a blind eye to the presence of Osama bin Laden, who might be somewhere in the tribal regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He certainly is not doing anything about the presence of the Taleban in northern Pakistan, other than attempting to dodge their bombs. Meanwhile he has all but promised to leave the tribal areas of Waziristan alone to continue to provide aid to the Taleban and possibly Osama bin Laden's entourage. All this while, in Baluchistan, Musharraf's army continues to assault and commit human rights violations against a helpless civilian population.

Not that Bhutto would be a significant improvement, with her siphoning off the contents of the national coffers, but why are we supporting this nest of vipers, exactly?