Word: islamabad
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After 9/11, Islamabad initially left the tribal areas alone. But when it became obvious that al-Qaeda and Taliban militants were crossing the border to escape U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan sent in the first of what eventually became 80,000 troops. They had some success: the Pakistani army captured terrorist leaders and destroyed training camps. But the harder the military pressed, the more locals resented its presence, especially when civilians were killed in botched raids against terrorists...
That may be true. But the Bush Administration is beginning to recognize that to stabilize Afghanistan and prevent the rebirth of al-Qaeda, it has to contain the growth of Talibanistan. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher announced in Islamabad that the U.S. intends to give an extra $750 million to Musharraf over the next five years to support development in the tribal areas. "I think this commitment to the development of Pakistan, this commitment to a long-term relationship, is another example of the very broad and deep relationship we have and that we are developing with Pakistan," Boucher...
...heavy-handed tactics seem to be backfiring. Whatever his intention, Musharraf's move has become a lightning rod for opposition by moderate Pakistanis frustrated with the slow pace of democratic reform. "This impinges so directly on the independence of the judiciary," says Samina Ahmed, Islamabad-based project director for the International Crisis Group. "This is the type of issue that will change the way people look at the executive - the last few apologists for this regime. There's a certain amount of desperation...
...Asim, 23, a computer science student watching a cricket match in a cheap kebab restaurant in Islamabad, agrees. "The people are angry. The law should be equal for each," he says. "You can't just make laws to suit you as you go along. This [Chaudhry's suspension] is not good for our country...
...says the judicial crisis is an internal Pakistani matter. On a trip to Islamabad, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told reporters that while the U.S. supported Pakistan's moves toward democracy, this specific problem is "something the Pakistani system is going to have to deal with...