Re: Musharraf is a man of his word: Bush
Well, not really. Unlike Pakistani rubber stamp assemblies Congress helps in shaping the US foreign policy. I was watching hearing in congressional committee on South Asia and Middle East on C-SPAN few days back when one of the congressmen from NY called Mushrraf a “thug”. So, the Congress knows what Mushrraf is doing, and they control the money which is what matters.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\11\21\story_21-11-2007_pg7_10
US congressmen active for return of normalcy in Pakistan
*** Letter circulated in Congress says Musharraf manipulating politics to prolong his rule
- Calls on Bush to suspend military aid to Pakistan**
WASHINGTON: Pressure in the US Congress on the return of constitutional normalcy to Pakistan continues with two important congressional figures making yet another move to persuade President General Pervez Musharraf to withdraw the emergency, release prisoners and make arrangements for free and fair elections.
In a “dear colleague” letter circulated to all members, Gary L Ackerman, chairman of the subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, and William D Delahunt, chairman of the subcommittee on international organisations, human rights and oversight, reject Gen Musharraf’s stated ground for declaring emergency in Pakistan because he wants to effectively fight terrorism. “We believe nothing could be further from the truth,” they add. The two congressmen point out that the pictures from Islamabad don’t show any Al Qaeda or Taliban terrorists being arrested, but they do show that Gen Musharraf is intent on keeping his job, both as president and as chief of army staff, by engaging in a “brutal crackdown” on opposition politicians, lawyers and human rights activists. Press reports do not show that the Pakistani army is tracking down Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists along the border with Afghanistan, but they do show the removal of seven Supreme Court justices, the closure of independent media outlets and the suspension of the Constitution.
Ackerman and Delahunt write that the Bush administration has for too long relied on one man to achieve its anti-terrorism objectives in Pakistan.
Musharraf manipulate politics: Bush has ignored democratic development there and turned a blind eye as Gen Musharraf has manipulated the political process to ensure his continued tenure in office. They write, “Musharraf has made and the broken repeated promises to step down as army chief and to restore legitimate civilian democratic government to Pakistan.
He made deals with Al Qaeda supporters in North and South Waziristan and those deals strengthened our enemies. Officials in his government sold nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea and Iran. Yet at every turn Gen Musharraf has received a pass. He is now isolated, deeply-resented, and less popular with his own people than Osama Bin Laden. Instead of arresting the terrorists who pose an existential threat to his regime if not the nation, Gen Musharraf is arresting the very people with whom he could have worked to develop the political support necessary to rid Pakistan of extremists.”
The two congressmen refer to House Resolution 823 that they have introduced that condemns the imposition of “martial law” and calls on Gen Musharraf to restore the Constitution, release all those arrested during the crackdown, allow independent media to re-open, schedule parliamentary elections for January, and step down as chief of army staff.
Aid suspension: The resolution also calls on President Bush to suspend all military assistance and all sales and transfers of military equipment until the conditions described in the resolution have been met. Since the introduction of the resolution, Gen Musharraf has set January 8, 2008 as the date for parliamentary elections, though he has not yet given any indication of when the emergency may be lifted. khalid hasan
