Washington, January 19: US secretary of state-designate Condoleezza Rice has hailed President Pervez Musharraf “as the man who saved” Pakistan from Islamic fundamentalists and paved the way for easing relations with India.
Rice, President George W Bush’s nominee for the post, was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Republican Senator Richard Lugar at her confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday.
She also revealed that the US has a contingency plan to prevent Pakistani nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists if they had come to power.
To a question by former Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, she said Pakistan has come a long way since two and a half years when it was on the brink of coming under the sway of fundamentalists with its ties to the Taliban and thorough penetration by al-Qaeda. “Now, Pakistan is fighting the al-Qaeda”.
'She also revealed that the US has a contingency plan to prevent Pakistani nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists if they had come to power'.
Forget the contingency plan, Pakistani nukes are under US control already :)
Mushuraff is no doubt the greatest leader Pakistan has had in a looong time, actually the best after the qaid...lets hope people let him help Pakistan succed. We need stability and in my eyes, he is the only person who can brings stability to Pakistan.
Yes, Busharraf with the help of his trusted buddy the imbecile Bush and Prof Condi Rice has saved Pakistan, but sadly Condi and Bush have in the process set their country on the path where its influence, power, economy and military are only headed downward.
^ this is not to say that the rights of millions of Pakistanis were not trampled by dictators who came into power due to a sham democracy e.g. BB who had support from Non Neo-cons of US.
^ the difference I am sure you realize Fraudiya is that non-dictators can be removed from the ballot box....Mushy needs to be in a plane before we can say bye bye...
The point is there is a system is in place whether the judiciary or the legislature that can get rid of your leader. How does one get rid of the dictator who is not answerable to either?
^ we either export them to Arabia or have them take a ride on C-130. Matsui,do you really believe that Pakistanis know what legislature or judiciary means? let alone how it is spelled. You have some faith in Pakis, don’t you.
imo if the system is working, then there is no need to tamper around with it. Should we enforce democracy if it means bringing corrupt people into power and ruining our economy once again. I think not. Look how much freedom the press has. Do you thing they enjoyed this much freedom under democracy?
As far as judiciary is concerned, then they are no different than the mullahs. Mullah wants an Islamic govt even though he has forgotton what it exactly is. Similalry our judges/lawyers want democracy even if it means hurting the country.
I said a system is in place. the efficiency of it gets better over time through practice of those principles. Whether you are running Girl Scouts, a company or Pakistan.
Whether it is the inability of the people or the underhandedness of the armed forces, that efficiency is not allowed to be developed. For a country to have existed for more than half of its life under military rule is absurd when a system that has the mechanisms for smooth transfer of power and popular based governance in place.
You see no army connection to the rise and demise of Benazir Bhutto? The Bhuttos are pawns of the army establishment as much as anyone else. They thought they were more powerful then the army, but they overestimated their power, same with the Sharifs.
Great games are being played by the rulers to keep themselves in power, these political faces are just a way to fool people into believing that there exists an actual independent political system in the country.
People get what they deserve and tolerate. Reality is there isn't sufficient outrage amongst pakistanis about how they are governed and who governs them. Until then all that matters is Condi likes and that keeps the dollars coming and the periodical photo op. The religion based activists are still to powerful to allow real change.
so you initial post that "American neocons are the only ones who would support dictators like Musharraf who have trampled the rights of millions of Pakistanis." is not true
If the change in who is PM or president, and whether they got there thru elections of military rule, does not change who is calling the shots.
By your later words, whether its banazir, or nawaz or pervez, the calls are being made by the military anyways..now the support that was given to these people was not just by neocons.
