PAKISTAN

Pakistan is on the frontline in the war against the Taliban
General Musharraf has been a key US ally in the war on terror since he won power in a coup in 1999.
The breach of civil rights puts U.S. President Bush and his administration in an awkward position: support a U.S. ally and key figure in the fight on terror or condemn him for "undermining democracy"?
Pakistan has received more than $10 billion in US military assistance since 9/11.
The US has 1000s of troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan is one of 9 nations (the "nuclear club") that has nuclear weapons


Articles Pakistan and the Taliban Documents Middle East Terms Mid-East Geography GO TO PAKISTAN HOME PAGE	Musharraf Declares Emergency Rule This page was last updated on 11/07/2007	Pakistan in a Nutshell 64 pages $7.95
	IN A NUTSHELL Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf suspended Pakistan's constitution and declared a state of emergency on Saturday, November 3 2007 citing the rise in Islamic militancy and the meddling by the country's courts as the cause. Musharraf's opponents say the move was staged to preempt a Supreme Court ruling deciding whether the reelection of Musharraf as president while he was still army chief was legal. The international community condemned Musharraf's declaration and his hard-handed treatment of the demonstrators -- most of them lawyers. U.S. President George Bush warned Musharraf to end the state of emergency, restore democracy and step down as head of Pakistan's military or risk losing U.S. aid. Musharraf reconstituted a 9-member Supreme Court with lawyers loyal to him. The new loyalist court was expected to declare the vote legitimate. Emergency rule and protests Along with suspending the Constitution, Musharraf's regime jammed TV signals, temporarily blocked cell phones (lawyers were using cell phones to coordinate rebellious activity) ,and threatened to close newspapers reporting negatively More than 1,000 protestors were arrested, others were dispersed by police wielding batons and firing teargas. Protesters are demanding the Musharraf resign as army chief before he takes the oath as president. Events leading up to emergency rule Supreme Court challenges Musharraf The Supreme Court was about to rule on the legality of his win before the declaration of emergency rule. Elections Musharraf won the most votes in the presidential election of October 6 -- but his victory was challenged by the judiciary because Musharraf did not step down as chief of the military. Musharraf promised that he would step down as army chief if he was reelected president. Chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is fired and put under house arrest. Chaudhry was one of 9 judges sacked for refusing to endorse the emergency order. Former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, returned from self-imposed exile on October 18. Her homecoming rally was marred by a suicide bomber who killed about 140 people. Bhutto accused Musharraf's regime with the attack -- although her promise to crack down on extremist groups attracted many extremist enemies. Consquences Parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2008 may be postponed Washington may reconsider its relationship with Pakistan's ruling party which may affect financial support. Why it matters Pakistan is on the frontline in the war against the Taliban General Musharraf has been a key US ally in the war on terror since he won power in a coup in 1999. The breach of civil rights puts U.S. President Bush and his administration in an awkward position: support a U.S. ally and key figure in the fight on terror or condemn him for "undermining democracy"? Pakistan has received more than $10 billion in US military assistance since 9/11. The US has 1000s of troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan is one of 9 nations (the "nuclear club") that has nuclear weapons

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