Pakistan's Ruling Coalition On Verge Of Collapse

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By ASIF SHAHZAD – 6 hours ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's ruling coalition teetered on the brink of collapse Saturday as the two main partners squabbled over a successor to ousted President Pervez Musharraf.

Former Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif, who heads the junior partner in the coalition, demanded the dominant Pakistan People's Party slash the president's powers before he would support its candidate.

Asif Ali Zardari, head of the PPP and widower of the party's assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto, agreed Saturday to run for the presidency.

Sharif also pushed forward the deadline for restoration of dozens of judges sacked by Musharraf — another key issue dividing the two main parties since they forced the president from power less than a week ago.

Still pressure was building for the two sides to end differences that appeared increasingly irreconcilable.

Presidential elections by parliament were set for Sept. 6 and the political infighting is a distraction from militant violence flaring in the volatile northwest, where 37 insurgents were killed Saturday in retaliation for a string of deadly suicide bombings.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIE0IUn4WIiaMBpjG8SI_6H5RXzgD92O4UA00

[seemslikeadream]

1. Condi will get right on it

[panader0]

2. The situation there is tenuous

So much for another US "ally".

[Purveyor]

3. Indeed it is and even more so as Pakistan is a 'nuclear weapon' State with some 60-200 nuclear

weapon's in their arsenal.

No, Pakistan would be a very big 'plum' in the Taliban/Qaeda quiver and I expect to see them throw most everything they have to control Pakistan.

[northernlights]

6. not to mention the al qaeda sympathisers

embedded throughout their military.

Very, very dangerous situation there.

[pinto]

4. A fragile democracy, at best, and reputed ties of the state's ISP (intell) to Taliban extremists -

it's a volatile situation all around.

[annabanana]

5. Very double plus ungood. .

Pakistan is our biggest concern, IMHO

[dipsydoodle]

7. Slashing the President's powers

might not be such a bad idea given prior events.

[Hardrada]

8. Biden talked about this long ago.

Shrub has never comprehended this, or any other, serious issue.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Why do I get the feeling that McCain is praying for the Islamists to take over...?

That way, he can run his campaign on the theme that "In these dangerous times, Obama is just too weak and inexperienced to take on the Islamofascist threat. Why, if he gets elected, he probably won't even manage to bring Osama bin Ladin to justic...oops, wait a minute there..."

[varun]

10. Obama had raised questions about Pakistan

and that it needs to do more to clean up the mess.

Obama has more sense than anyone in this corrupt and ineffective administration.

[ohio2007]

11. Groups banned under Musharraf reopen offices with his resigning

Lashkar, Jaish re-open offices in Pakistan


Terrorist groups, which were banned during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf have again become active and reopened their offices in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi.


snip


The government should learn from Musharraf's mistakes and his policies should be discontinued at once and the ban on political and religious parties should be lifted," Nadeem said. Musharraf should not be provided a safe exit as he was responsible for killings thousands of innocent Muslims, he said."He is a national offender and only the nation can forgive him. If the government lets him go without facing trial, it will be considered as an accomplice of the former President," he said.


The government should have announced the imposition of Shariat or Islamic law in the country on independence day as this was the prime objective for the creation of Pakistan, Nadeem added.



http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/21terror.htm

Perhaps these groups will unite with the Taliban to defeat democracy by using democracy.

[ohio2007]

13. Pakistan mob burns two APCs set for U.S. Afghan force ( port of Karachi )

KARACHI (Reuters) - Gunmen in the Pakistani port city of Karachi set fire to two armored personnel carriers (APCs) bound for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, police said on Monday.There have been reports Islamist militants had threatened to start attacking supplies bound for foreign forces in Afghanistan in Karachi, where many supplies arrive before being trucked overland into Afghanistan.

snip
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080825/wl_nm/pakistan_afghan_apcs_dc_1

a coincidence?

[struggle4progress]

12. Bhutto widower poised for Pakistan's presidency (Guardian)

Saeed Shah in Islamabad
The Guardian,
Monday August 25 2008

Asif Zardari, the controversial widower of the slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, will this week file his nomination papers to become Pakistan's next president, pushing the fragile coalition government further towards collapse.

He is almost certain to be the next incumbent of the presidential palace in Islamabad, as his Pakistan People's party (PPP) has the required votes in parliament to get him elected, replacing Pervez Musharraf, who was ousted last week and who had kept Zardari in prison for years.

Nawaz Sharif, leader of the other major party in the coalition, is furious that he was not consulted over Zardari's bid for the presidency. Sharif has also given the PPP until today to reinstate the judges sacked by Musharraf last November, the fourth such deadline set. He has warned that he is ready to walk out of the coalition.

As president, Zardari, who became known as Mr Ten Percent for his alleged corruption when his wife was twice prime minister, would enjoy a strong measure of protection from prosecution on any of the dozens of criminal charges made against him over the years. He is alleged to have bought a £4.4m country estate in Surrey with ill-gotten gains, and of having siphoned off $1.5bn (£750m) from Pakistan while Bhutto was in office. He was also accused in two murder cases, including the killing of Bhutto's brother Murtaza in 1996 ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/25/pakistan

[struggle4progress]

14. Sharif Quits Coalition, Setting Up President Contest (Update2)

Updated: New York, Aug 25 11:15
London, Aug 25 16:15
Tokyo, Aug 26 00:15

By Khalid Qayum
More Photos/Details

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Nawaz Sharif, head of Pakistan's second-largest party, quit the six-month-old ruling alliance, setting up a fight with Pakistan Peoples Party leader Asif Ali Zardari over who will replace Pervez Musharraf as president.

``We have been forced to take this decision, which we take with great regret,'' Sharif told a news conference in the capital, Islamabad, today after meeting senior party leaders. ``Zardari pledged in writing to reinstate the judges within one day of Musharraf leaving.''

Zardari reneged on several pledges to reinstate judges fired by Musharraf and to nominate a presidential candidate from outside the main parties, Sharif said. His party nominated former chief justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui to run for head of state in the Sept. 6 presidential election.

Zardari, widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, will need support from smaller parties including the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement to ensure the majority needed to win the parliamentary vote for president. Sharif's departure removes an opponent to military action against extremists as the government today banned the Pakistani Taliban after a string of suicide attacks ...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ar.3eXnkpRfo&refer=home

[ohio2007]

15. Pakistan government bans Taleban

Pakistan has banned the Taleban militant group which has been behind many suicide attacks in the country since 2007.

snip

Baitullah Mehsud is the head of Pakistan's Taleban


There have been a number of local ceasefire deals with the Taleban and other militants but none have been successful in stopping the violence or preventing incursions into Afghanistan, our correspondent says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7580475.stm

problem solved

until the banks start getting bombed


:popcorn: