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POPSThe Assasination of Benazir Bhutto When in power, corruption hemmed in around her, and her visions were stalemated by the reality of bureaucratic government. She was at her best when she was disenfranchised, chiding those in control. In power she was a bureaucrat, but in opposition she was an icon. Now she has died as icons die, as opposition leaders die, in an explosive annihilation of waves of humanity. ...at the back gate of a park after a speech, on the eve of her comeback.
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POPSMore rights for Pakistani women
Women's rights in Pakistan will not be realised until particular Islamic laws and codes are scrapped. This include laws allowing the marriage of girls under sixteen, making a women's testimony equal to half of a man's, excluding female testimony in Hudood cases, and allowing family members to kill women in the name of honour without any fear of criminal penalty. Pakistan may look from outside very progressive in terms of women's rights, especially when one remembers Benazir Bhutto, something not even the United States has managed to accomplish. It is true that women are guaranteed one-third of the seats in national and local-level assemblies and are represented in the cabinet. It is also true that their participation in the labour force is remarkably large with many women holding university degrees and occupying high posts in both public and private institutions, including the army. But this only applies to urban centres, where literacy rates are high and the economy is booming.
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POPSThe Economics Of Democracy In Muslim Countries
The Status of Democracy Index (SDI) measures each country's progress toward democratic governance through multiple variables. First, it measures governance through four variables: how heads of state and members of the legislature are selected; political party development; suffrage; and the maturity of civil liberties The Status of Democracy Index rates each of these nine variables on a three-point scale: 0 (nonexistent), 1 (emerging), or 2 (fully present). Some of the variables, such as media freedom, religious liberty, and respect for human rights, are easy to quantify, whereas measuring human development is more subjective. Economic freedom can be scored on the level of governmental interference in the economy: 0 (strong), 1 (moderate), and 2 (low). It is then possible to convert the totals to a percentage for ease of digestion. Only three of these countries—Mali, Guyana, and Suriname —are considered full democracies. http://www.meforum.org/article/1921
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POPSThe Next Crisis: PAKISTAN - Musharraf is losing his grip... Although I can appreciate what he is trying to do... simultaneously keep both the US and Al Qaeda from bombing his country, I think Musharraf is loosing his grip. A lot of these scenes seem very familiar. I watched them happen in Nepal as King Gyanendra struggled, and ultimately failed, to keep control of Nepal. Musharraf's government feels very close to a dangerous tipping point. This should be a big concern for everybody, because the results will leave no one unaffected. Making sure Pakistan remains stable and progressive should be a first-class diplomatic priority for all of the world.
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POPSMusharaf declares State of Emergency in Pakistan A supreme court decision, on whether to overturn his recent election win, is to be made soon, the State of emergency was declared for the sake of rising Islamic militant violence. A state of emergency suspends the constitution, and calls for the election of new judges The state of emergency was immediately rejected by eight supreme court judges
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POPSinside Bhuto`s 'prison' ; exclusive photo story "She returned to Pakistan from exile on October 18, after U.S.-brokered talks between her party and General Musharraf helped pave the way for the dropping of corruption charges against her. But her return was marked by a vicious terror attack that killed more than 200 of her supporters at a welcoming rally. The U.S. had hoped that an understanding between Musharraf and Bhutto could result in a transition to civilian rule. But Musharraf's declaration of a State of Emergency and his sacking of the judiciary made cooperation with the general untenable for Bhutto, leading to her demand that Musharraf step down."
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POPSBenazir Bhutto Assassinated When I saw this I couldn't believe it. I was sure the story would have been clipped, but I went to three of four different articles before it sank it. I was struck by the idea that there are those who who would benefit far more from Bhutto's Death than Al Qaeda Perhaps Al Qaeda wanted Musharraf to have an election that was free of opposition- an election in to be held in 13 days
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POPSRepublican Huckabee Clueless After Bhutto's Death More: He said the U.S. should weigh the impact Bhutto’s death would have on Pakistan’s “continued” martial law. But President Pervez Musharraf formally lifted the emergency rule in Pakistan on December 15th, nearly two weeks ago. Huckabee also told an Orlando crowd that he offered his “apologies” for what happened in Pakistan. The campaign quickly recanted the statement, saying he actually meant “sympathies.” Huckabee’s muffed and embarrassing responses to Bhutto’s death underscore his glaring foreign policy incompetence. Huckabee also seized on the Bhutto assassination to tighten up his hard-line anti-immigration stance. Yesterday, he said the U.S. should be on heightened alert from the threat posed by Pakistani immigrants: UPDATE: A “senior aide” to Huckabee admitted Friday that Huckabee has “no foreign policy credentials,” explaining why he pivoted to the immigration comment.
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POPSBush: Not the worst president ever Michael O'Hare lists five presidents who are worse than Bush: Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Gambia's Yahya Jammeh, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, and Turkmenistan's Sapurmurat Niyazov.
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POPSPakistani President Musharraf Resigns Amid Impeachment Threats Many Pakistanis blame the rising militant violence in their country on Musharraf's alliance with the U.S. His reputation suffered blows in 2007 when he ousted dozens of judges and imposed emergency rule. His rivals won February parliamentary elections and have since sought his ouster, announcing impeachment plans earlier this month. Musharraf, who has been largely sidelined since his rivals came to power, had resisted the mounting calls to quit, even after the coalition finalized impeachment charges against him and threatened to send a motion to Parliament later this week. Who will ultimately succeed Musharraf is an open question. There has been speculation that both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, the leaders of the two main parties are interested in the role.
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