|
U.S. envoy arrives to pressure Pakistani president |
|
|
|
|
Written by News Editor
|
|
Friday, 16 November 2007 |
Lebanon news, Lebanese radio
station , world news, music, discover Lebanon, visit Beirut, Radio sawt
Beirut
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived Friday in Pakistan to suggest to the nation's embattled president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, that he lift his emergency rule, senior State Department officials said.
Negroponte's visit comes as political unrest roils the strategically critical nation. Musharraf has sworn in a new caretaker government, while opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has rejected the new regime, saying it's "not acceptable."
Bhutto and other opposition leaders have accused Musharraf of declaring emergency rule November 3 to maintain his hold on power and avoid an expected court ruling that would have nullified his election victory in October.
Musharraf has said the emergency rule will improve stability and foster peaceful parliamentary elections, which he said he would like to occur before January 9. Watch more about Pakistan's critical next steps »
Violent protests continued to rock city streets, and opposition party leaders have been jailed or placed under house arrest under anti-terrorism laws.
Despite a ban on political gatherings, about 500 protesters in the northwestern city of Peshawar clashed with police who used tear gas and batons, according to The Associated Press. In Lahore, about 3,000 students rallied at a university campus, the AP reported. The students denounced Musharraf, according to the AP, and praised another opposition leader Imran Khan, a former cricket captain whom police detained earlier this week.
Underscoring the importance the United States places on ending Pakistan's emergency rule, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Thursday the more time Musharraf "spends trying to enforce the emergency rule, the more resources he devotes to that process, the less are available to go after terrorists in his midst and ours." See why Pakistan is a key U.S. ally »
U.S.-led forces fighting the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan rely on Pakistan for supplies. Morrell said 75 percent of all U.S. supplies for troops in Afghanistan flow either through or over Pakistan, including 40 percent of fuel, which comes from Pakistani refineries.
"So we are very much encouraging of him to get on with taking off his military uniform, holding free and fair elections, and getting back to law-based constitutional rule as quickly as possible," Morrell said.
However, the Pentagon is preparing plans in case the situation worsens and threatens U.S. supply lines, Morrell said. "There are efforts under way right now to figure out contingency supply lines to our troops in Afghanistan, if it becomes necessary to alter the way we now support our troops in Afghanistan," he said.
Negroponte, formerly the top U.S. intelligence official, is expected to meet Musharraf and other Pakistani officials over the weekend.
Musharraf this week swore in seven handpicked allies as part of a caretaker government despite an earlier pledge to include "people of a neutral band."
Prime Minister Mohammad Mian Soomro will lead the interim Cabinet. He previously was chairman of the Senate -- a key post because the Senate chairman is acting president when Musharraf is outside the country.
Meanwhile, Bhutto was freed from house arrest Friday in Lahore. Police had detained her there since Tuesday. In an interview with Britain's Sky News shortly after her release, Bhutto said Musharraf has shown he is an "obstacle to democracy." The opposition leader has called for the Pakistani president to step down. |
News 
