I never thought I’d agree with Gary Ackerman on anything.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\11\17\story_17-11-2007_pg7_1
Resolution in US Congress for suspending Pak military aid
- Gary Ackerman says Musharraf manipulated politics to ensure his continued tenure in office
WASHINGTON: A resolution introduced in Congress this week condemns the imposition of martial law in Pakistan and calls on President Bush to suspend military assistance to Pakistan.
The resolution was moved by New York Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. “The Bush administration has for too long relied on one man to achieve our anti-terrorism objectives in Pakistan,” said Ackerman.
Manipulated politics:** “The president has ignored democratic development there and turned a blind eye as President General Pervez Musharraf has manipulated the political process to ensure his continued tenure in office. He has made and the broken repeated promises to step down as army chief and to restore legitimate civilian democratic government to Pakistan,” he said. Ackerman said, “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 from President Bush. Instead of arresting the terrorists who pose an existential threat to his regime if not the nation, Musharraf is arresting the very people with whom he could have worked to develop the political support necessary to rid Pakistan of extremists.”**
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week, Ackerman blasted the Bush administration for the current unrest in Pakistan. The congressman criticised the Bush’s policy towards Musharraf during testimony from deputy secretary of state John Negroponte. Ackerman’s resolution also calls on Musharraf to reinstate the Constitution, release all those arrested during his crackdown, allow independent media to re-open, schedule parliamentary elections for January and step down as army chief. The measure also calls on President Bush to suspend all military assistance to Pakistan as well as all sales and transfers of military equipment until the conditions described in the resolution have been met.** “The pictures from Islamabad don’t show any Al Qaeda or Taliban terrorists being arrested but they do show that Musharraf is intent on keeping his job by engaging in a brutal crackdown on opposition politicians, lawyers and human rights activists,”** Ackerman said. khalid hasan