The latest news from Islamabad is troubling:
Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, suspending the constitution, replacing the chief justice before a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president, and cutting communications in the capital.
Pakistan's main opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, flew back to the country from Dubai and was sitting in an airplane at Karachi's airport, waiting to see if she would be arrested or deported, a spokesman said. Dozens of paramilitary troops surrounded her house.
A good summary of the background and implications from Ed Morrisey at Captain's Quarters:
Musharraf had awaited a decision from the Supreme Court on his eligibility to run for president, one that had been scheduled for over a week ago. The court announced that it would delay its decision for a month, leading to speculation that Musharraf would lose the decision and be disqualified from elective office. Even if he won the decision, the delay has proven somewhat destabilizing as the country holds its breath to discover who's in charge.
The West will not find this to their liking. They had pressed Musharraf to cut a deal with Benazir Bhutto to transition back to democratic processes, hoping that the deal would give them both a stronger political position and marginalize the Islamists. The radicals have their own agenda, however, and have worked to destabilize the political situation before the alliance between Bhutto and Musharraf could have any effect.
Remember that Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere on Pakistan's western frontier. Remember that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. This situation could get scary.
̶ Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times
Comments (1)
Another thing we need to worry about is how India will react if Musharraf is ousted in a coup and the Islamist fundamentalists take over. This not only is a danger for the coalition troops in Afghanistan, but it could also draw the entire region into major conflagration. The only partial good news in all of this could be that if a Taliban-like government takes over in Pakistan, that could actually drive India closer to the United States. India is still the largest democracy in the world and, if faced with a nation of Muslim fanatics on its border, India may just begin seeing that its future lies mainly in siding with the west, most notably Europe and America. But that would be small consolation if the Islamists take over in Pakistan and decide to "share" their nuclear weapons with Osama bin Laden, who is rumored to be living in Pakistan's western frontier. I wonder if Musharraf has shared his plans with the United States for defending Pakistan's nuclear weapons, just in case things go badly for him?
Posted by Libertyship46 | November 4, 2007 2:26 PM