The Latest from Pakistan
By SusanUnPC on November 7, 2007 at 10:07 PM in Pakistan
THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Joe Biden on Pakistan, from Steve Clemons:
In discussing Pakistan on a media conference call today, Foreign Relations Chairman Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) advocated a more nuanced policy attuned to the regional contours and contemporary contingencies than the U.S. political and electoral arena will usually allow. Biden described the Pakistani state of national emergency as unsustainable and, without rehashing another democratic sermon on the mount, called on the U.S. to utilize a number of levers at its disposal to move President Musharraf and Pakistan away from this extremely precarious position.
The four part plan he laid out included large, unconditional financial support for non-security projects such as schools, roads, clinics, etc; conditioning of security aid on performance; support for judicial, political, and good government reforms; and finally and increase in public diplomacy and high impact support.
Sen. Biden first correctly linked the current instability to the administration’s poor management and near desertion of Afghanistan by early 2002. … READ ALL.
THURSDAY UPDATE: Take action at Amnesty International against this “direct assault on human rights.”
Laura Rozen, the fine investigative reporter who wrote the acclaimed afterword for Valerie Plame Wilson’s book, picked up this nugget on Benazir Bhutto from the New York Times, for her blog, War and Piece (another must-read blog that’s very no-nonsense and pithy):
A foreign correspondent formerly based in Pakistan comments in response, “Hard to give her more credence than she deserves. She’s already lost so much credibility by being perceived to deal with a dictator, this on top of the corruption charges … not to mention the two botched terms as p.m. and being the one who originally cultivated the Taliban. But she’s been clever at promoting herself as a voice of reason to the West. Maybe now will be moment to shine.”
Do you think Bhutto will go ahead with her (threatened) massive protest on Friday, to which she promises to attract a million Pakistanis? Will this demonstration create wholesale chaos and violence?
Then there were the promises from Mahmud Ali Durrani, a former general in the Pakistani army and Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. tonight on PBS Newshour — essentially, do not worry, all will be well, all of these moves are intended to bring greater stability to Pakistan, and Mr. Musharraf will remove his military uniform as soon as he resumes his presidency:
[...]
MARGARET WARNER: Now, you called this a “short-term measure.” When will emergency rule be lifted?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: The president has already made the statement. I think this is a matter of days when this emergency will be lifted. He has made this commitment already: The emergency will be lifted, he will doff his uniform, and the elections will be held as soon as possible.
MARGARET WARNER: You’re saying, in a matter of days, he will end this emergency rule?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Days, it may go into a week or two, but I don’t think more. This is my assessment.
I think where we are together is to fight the war on terror. And I say this is where your focus should be, that to fight the war on terror, and I think Pakistan is doing a great job.
Question of parliamentary elections
MARGARET WARNER: And then you said — is he still committed to holding the parliamentary elections in mid-January, as was originally expected?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Yes, yes.
MARGARET WARNER: He is?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Yes.
MARGARET WARNER: And when is he going to take off his uniform?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Before he becomes, takes order as the new president. He has already been elected by the parliament. And now, as soon as his case is cleared by the Supreme Court, and when he takes our oath as the president, he will take our oath as the civilian president of Pakistan.
MARGARET WARNER: Now, when he lifts the emergency rule order, will it be a full restoration of the constitution? Will he restore the judiciary as it was?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: It will restore the judiciary. It will be a full, you know, restoration of the constitution. No doubt about it.
MARGARET WARNER: But not the same Supreme Court?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: No. Obviously not, because the same Supreme Court, there’s a new set of judges. They have sworn into the PCO, and those…
MARGARET WARNER: That’s the temporary order?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Yes, temporary order, yes, and probably they will be the judges, and maybe some more.
MARGARET WARNER: President Bush called President Musharraf today and spoke to him — we just saw a clip of that…
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Yes. Yes.
MARGARET WARNER: … and urged him to take off his uniform and schedule the elections. Does something like that, does a call from President Bush have an impact on President Musharraf?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Well, it’s important, because Bush is a friend of — President Bush is a friend of President Musharraf. He’s a close ally. Of course it means something, because when a friend calls and offers advice, one takes it.
MARGARET WARNER: But we heard Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte say today, in fact, the Bush administration advised against this and you didn’t follow their advice.
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: No, no. Pakistan is not a state of the United States, OK? It’s not another state that we take every dictate. We need to understand that. But good advice, when valid and when acceptable, it’s taken. But it is not a mandate that it should be — it’s not an order. As I said, we’re not a state of the United States. We’re an independent country.
MARGARET WARNER: When someone like Negroponte says today — I can’t remember if his exact word was “distressed” or we have disagreement on what he did, but it shouldn’t translate into disengagement. Now, how do you read that?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Well, I think that’s a very, very sensible statement. They were not happy; I can understand that. A lot of people are not happy. But what he means is that Pakistan is doing something good. They are fighting the war on terror. Besides that, he made a statement, all the good things that Musharraf has done.
MARGARET WARNER: My question is, how is that read in Islamabad, that basically Musharraf can choose his own timeframe here? Or is there a sense that the U.S. is really putting some serious pressure?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Elizabeth, I don’t think…
MARGARET WARNER: Margaret.
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: … it’s the U.S. pressure which is pushing him. It is his own agenda. He wants to move forward. He wants to move ahead with democracy. He wants a full civilian, democratic dispensation, so this is his own agenda.
MARGARET WARNER: Part of your job here is to read the mood of Congress.
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: Yes.
MARGARET WARNER: There were many members today calling for restrictions on the aid, restricting the F-15, F-16 deliveries. How do you read that? Do you think the aid’s in jeopardy?
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: I really don’t think so, because I listened to the interview and the questions by most of the senators, and this was a mixed bag. Some of the senators did say that he is a strong ally. Do not do things that you have done in the past to destroy an ally, and then you cry over what you’ve done.
So there was a lot of different views. And I take it, I’m sure, that people will realize here that the important thing is to support the government of Pakistan.
And what does the U.S. really want? Does it want to run the Pakistani government for Pakistanis? I think there are 160 million Pakistanis. They will do a good job. I think where we are together is to fight the war on terror. And I say this is where your focus should be, that to fight the war on terror, and I think Pakistan is doing a great job.
MARGARET WARNER: Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani, thank you so much.
MAHMUD ALI DURRANI: You’re welcome.
Well, that’s all settled now.
Read or watch/listen to the entire interview at PBS Newshour (which consistently does a great job of getting its video/audio and transcripts up very quickly).
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