Pakistan court order raises new instability fears

[Adsos Letter]

Source: AP

ISLAMABAD – A decision by Pakistan's Supreme Court to strike down a presidential order appointing two top judges triggered warnings Sunday of a new conflict between the judiciary and the government that could lead to broader political instability.

President Asif Ali Zardari's spokesman dismissed rumors the government was planning to declare a state of emergency after the court rejected his appointments at a special session late Saturday, just hours after they were announced.

The development will concern Pakistan's Western allies who want the country to concentrate on battling al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the northwest. The stability of the nuclear-armed nation is also key to Washington's hopes of defeating the insurgency just across the border in Afghanistan.

In an indication of the threats facing the country, an explosion ripped through a busy intersection in southern Pakistan on Sunday, killing three people in an area that has mostly avoided violence in the past.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100214/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan