Word: musharraf
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Osama bin Laden may not have the religious authority to issue a fatwa, but for some in Pakistan, his declaration of war against President Pervez Musharraf carries the same weight as a papal excommunication. More importantly, though, bin Laden's denunciation of General Musharraf as an "apostate leader" is a jihadist echo of the charge by secular opponents that the general's efforts to hold on to power are illegitimate...
...Laden's statement came on the same day that Pakistan's Election Commission announced the date for Pakistan's parliament to elect a new President - a vote in which Musharraf plans to seek a second term. But, for the past week, the Supreme Court has been considering several legal challenges to Musharraf's authority: There's the question of whether the constitution allows him to seek a new term as President while remaining in command of the military; there are contempt-of-court proceedings over his government's deportation of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif despite a court ruling allowing...
...rallies were significantly better attended than those that materialized for Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister, whose attempted homecoming five days earlier had been aborted at the airport by Musharraf's government. But Sharif's welcoming committee had been heavily repressed by a massive presence of police - one that was, tellingly, nowhere to be seen for Bhutto's celebratory announcement. Nevertheless, the media outnumbered party faithful in both events. There are many political uncertainties to come in the next few weeks - the announcement of presidential elections, Supreme Court rulings on Musharraf?s ability to run for another term while maintaining...
...hallmarks of Musharraf?s reign has been the wholesale liberation of Pakistan?s electronic media. Over the past five years media deregulation has meant that dozens of independent TV stations have exploded on the scene, ready and all too willing to exploit the slightest misdemeanor of those in power. Musharraf has already felt the bite of this newly unleashed press: Exhaustive coverage of his attempts to dismiss a popular Supreme Court justice contributed significantly to his plunge in popularity...
With Sharif safely re-exiled in Saudi Arabia, and a deal with Musharraf still percolating, Bhutto may think the way is cleared for a triumphant return to the premiership. But Pakistan is a different country from the one she fled eight years ago, and many have turned against the one-time democracy campaigner for sleeping with the enemy, Musharraf. Widespread accusations of corruption colored her last term in power, and husband Asif Zardari still carries the nickname "Mr. Ten Percent." An exchange of PPP support for Musharraf?s reelection as President by parliament has been conditional on the dropping...