Musharraf's "Second Coup" In Pakistan
Leader Invokes Lincoln In Announcing State Of Emergency; Bhutto Warns Of Civil War
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Is Musharraf Saving His Job?
CBS News' Farhan Bokhari analyzes the situation in Pakistan just hours after Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares a state of emergency revoking democratic privileges.
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Pakistan State Of Emergency
Gen. Musharraf removes Supreme Court justices and cuts communications in Islamabad in an effort to block what he calls "hurdles in the way of democracy." Mark Phillips reports.
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Policy For Pakistan Criticized
The Bush administration has supported Pakistan since 9/11, but presidential hopefuls now question the policy. Joie Chen reports.
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People read newspapers a day after President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, at a stall in Islamabad, Nov. 4, 2007. (Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty)
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Pakistan's military ruler President Gen. Pervez Musharraf addresses the nation on state-run television, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. Musharraf declared a state of emergency Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president, thrusting Pakistan deeper into political turmoil. (AP Photo/Pakistan Television)
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Guests and employees of a local hotel watch President Gen. Pervez Musharraf deliver a televised speech to the nation in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007. (AP/Wally Santana)
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Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto waves to her supporters on her arrival from Dubai at Karachi International Airport in Karachi, November 3, 2007. (TABASSUM/AFP/Getty)
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Pakistani paramilitary soldiers in Islamabad after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, Nov. 3, 2007. Pakistani paramilitary troops and police surrounded the Supreme Court building. (Getty Images/AFP/Aamir Qureshi)
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Pakistan
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Benazir Bhutto: 1953-2007
A look at the life and death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Around the country, human rights organizations have been shut down. Musharraf has ordered the arrest of more than a thousand political opponents and lawyers. Some, including the fired head of the Supreme Court, are under house arrest, reports CBS News foreign correspondent Sheila MacVicar. Other have been sent to prison.
Streets in the capital are closed off; the route to the Supreme Court is blocked. Independent news media remain silenced. And criticizing the president or the prime minister is now a crime, adds MacVicar.
The government said they need these measures in order to combat rising extremism. Musharraf said he was forced to suspend the constitution in order to fight growing Islamic extremism, and required "harmony" among the three branches of government in order to fight terrorism.
There have been a series of spectacular attacks recently, most notably the two suicide bombers who attacked former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's convoy when she returned from exile a couple of weeks ago.
Others would point out that Musharraf benefits from suspending the constitution by emergency decree and in particular getting rid of the Supreme Court. One of the key decisions on the court's plate was to rule on the legality of his re-election as president.
Now, as Musharraf faced his critics at home and abroad, he quoted another president facing a divided nation, Abraham Lincoln.
Addressing the Pakistan people on television last night, he briefly spoke in English, appealing directly to America: "Inaction at this moment is suicide for Pakistan and I cannot allow this country to commit suicide."
The general defended his decision with a quote from Lincoln: "By general law life and limb must be protected; yet often a limb must be amputated to save a life."
Suspending basic rights and sacking independent-minded judges may buy Musharraf more time in power, but his assumption of emergency powers could ultimately destabilize Pakistan further and embolden Islamic militants.
Opposition leader Benezir Bhutto agreed that Musharraf's actions amounted to a "second coup." In an interview with CBS News correspondent Dave Browde, she said this latest action against the country's judiciary and to declare a new provisional constitution will lead to protests. "I know that the judges are not going to take this lying down, the lawyers aren't going to take this lying down.
"It's very important that General Musharraf be pressed to restore the constitution, to release the political prisoners, respect the judiciary and hold elections under an independent election commission."Listen to the CBS News interview with Bhutto
Bhutto was worried about the impact of yesterday's events on Pakistan, telling Browde that extremists could exploit the situation to their own advantage, and that if Musharraf stays on his present course, chaos would ensue "in a day or two."
"If elections are postponed it bodes very ill for the nation that as extremist supporters gain more time, our country could be facing not only an Islamic takeover but really a civil war."
Inaction at this moment is suicide to Pakistan and I cannot allow this country to commit suicide.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf"The militancy along the frontier has spread, just like these wildfires in Southern California, closer and closer if you will to settled areas, urban areas, civilization," Van Dyk said. "In the last four months 800 people were killed in suicide attacks throughout the country. General Musharraf said, 'Enough, I've got to stop it.'
"There's no way that there will be a civil war with all the military and all the police in the streets today," Van Dyk notes.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad is advising caution for Americans in the country, however, recommending all U.S. citizens stay in their residences.
U.S. To Review Aid To Terror-Fighting Ally
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday the U.S. will review its aid to Pakistan after the country's military ruler suspended the constitution. Her announcement puts in question some of the billions in U.S. assistance to a close terrorism-fighting ally.
On a Mideast trip now overshadowed by the unfolding crisis in nuclear-armed Pakistan, Rice suggested that the Bush administration would not suspend aid wholesale.
The U.S. has provided about $11 billion to Pakistan since 2001, when Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, made a strategic shift to ally with the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Some of the aid that goes to Pakistan is directly related to the counterterrorism mission," Rice told reporters traveling with her. "We just have to review the situation. But I would be very surprised if anyone wants the president to set aside or ignore" the responsibility to national security that can come through such cooperation, she said.
The top U.S. diplomat said she had not spoken directly with Musharraf since he announced what she called "extraconstitutional" moves on Saturday.
Western allies will find it increasingly awkward to support a military leader who twice seized power by force and has become a hated figure to many at home.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Listen to the CBS News interview with Bhutto



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See all 206 CommentsI am sure that the Great Emperor Bush II is really taking notes on how Musharref is handling his "crises" to see if he can pull the same thing off here! A lot can happen in 13 months and we all know that Bush is irrational enough to turn what''s left of our "democracy" into dictatorship overnight.
All those who fought and died in all wars since the Revolutionary War have to be crying in their graves over what could happen here tomorrow!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!
How is the situation in Pakistan that different from what is happening in the US?
'' .. if not for spankings, then hell .. ''
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'' .. invest everything in small, chronically bankrupt medias and governments dedicated to ''tax everyone & feed no one except felons'', most felons being three years old w/ all spankings, no trials, no food, & injury / death plenty .. or, in small, chronically bankrupt paupers, invest, by example, fortunes worth of shortest term time share business plans for the purpose of feeding the masses .. ''
'' .. the countys with the 300 pay-per-meal feeding troughs are riddled with well fed & eager volunteers, while those with 300 free feeding troughs are forever empty .. ''
'' .. as the smallest piece of forever is as big as the largest, removing the smallest just can''t be done, joking .. ''
'' .. even containing me, forever is yours .. not containing me, it can never be .. ''
'' .. shreded by the flimsy breaths of enemys & ceaselessly tickled by the crunching of my bones by friends, & vice versa, & for infinite lines resolution w/ infinite exponents & infinitely fast refresh rates w/ infinitely fast exponents .. ''
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'' ... that''s entrapment, congress cannot be a bunch of naked kids running around punishing all the dressed adults they themselves sent out to spank a bunch of naked kids ... ''
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'' ... the grapevine drives the podium, not vice versa ... ''
We have 2 brutal military dictators, Musharraf and Saddam. Saddam was overthrown by a brutal and illegal invasion of his country, while Musharraf is our friend.
Why? Because Musharraf has nuclear weapons, and Saddam did not, and the U.S. does not attack countries that can defend themselves.
Unfortunately for the Bush cabal, they "misunderestimated" the ability of the Iraqi and Afghan people to defend themselves.
Absolutely amazing... Even in Pakistan under a military dictator, under marshal law, their press is still free-er and more couragious than the u.s. and a. Not even Musharraf would fire rockets from an Apache helicopter at an unarmed press!
We note that Saddam was hanged, following a kangaroo court conducted by an illegal occipier, while the Bush cabal- arguable the greatest enemies of the people of the U.S. and the world, remain un-hanged and at-large.
How can this be explained?
tbweb,
Re: "As long as al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden are in Pakistan trying to control Pakistans nukes and promoting terror there can be no business as usual!"
Still promoting your Zionist apologist nonsense, I see.
How can this be explained?
Posted by FeelFree1 at 12:31 PM : Nov 04, 2007
- Selling the pieces of the crashed Shuttle on e-bay.
- People posing with cut out ads as victims of 9/11 just to get on tv.
- Editing the film of 9/11 to make it look different to sell it to CNN.
What''s the song from RadioHead... You''re a creep, you''re a weirdo....
After the debacle of Iraq* no country in their right mind--no matter how besieged within would grant Americans the right to go in and do anything. We are like using a missle to kill a mouse. Overkill and devastating.
*Presently much of Iraq is in rubble without power, sanitation, working sewers, potable drinking water and run rife with kidnappers, death squads, multiple factions, Americans, foreigners, insurgents, etc--all killing and all using Iraq as a springboard to garner either money or power. Who in the hell wants that? America would not want it, if the shoe was reversed--even a masochisssst has its limits.
The US is doing the opposite. We have a very finite amount of oil left in the US, and our government wants to pump the same amount, not more, but make more money on every barrel. The price of a barrel of oil coming out of war-torn Iraq is necessarily high because of the extreme danger and difficulty of getting it to market.
A barrel of oil casually and safely pumped from an oil platform off Santa Barbara costs the exact same amount as the most difficult barrel to get, which has led to record profits for American oil companies.
This is truly a war for oil, but not for cheap oil. It''s a war to increase the price of oil to increase profits. Selling weapons to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia just insures future conflict, and higher oil prices.
Posted by zootallures2 at 12:28 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Surely you jest? If he wouldn''t it would only be because he did not have an Apache helicopter to do so. Not only would Musharref do such a thing, but he''d be sure to smear them all as a terrorist cell or terrorist sympathizers as he did so. Musharref is just like Saddam. Saddam was our friend too--until he got in our way and threatened our money.
(New york Times Headline)
This would never have happened if Lurch had won the White House in 2004.
- Posted by zootallures2 at 12:28 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Of course not. He might miss.
He"d go for napalm.
This is truly a war for oil, but not for cheap oil. It''s a war to increase the price of oil to increase profits. "
Thanks, good insight.
We will do anything to defend Israel, though Israelis cannot fight with us. We berate Germany and France for not putting their soldiers in Iraq, but Israel, the country we fight the Middle East to protect, can''t help us help them.
Remember the US embargo against South Africa? Did we do that because we love black people so much? No. Look at Darfur. We put an embargo on South Africa to boost Israel''s diamond profits.
Who has AIPAC bought this election? Hillary. Who are the evangelists behind this election? Hillary. Who are the military contractors going to support this election? Hillary. The parties take turns, but Israel and the war machine always pick a winner.
The "Gorilla" in Pakistans room is al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden! Musharraf will not go after Osama bin Laden the same way the U.S. will, the U.S. has more incentive to find bin Laden and finish the job once and for all. Osama bin Laden in Pakistan changes the equation dramatically and how can anything positive develop in Pakistan as long as Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda have a safe harbor there?
Posted by toldyouso21 at 12:37 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Saddam on Jon Stewart''s Daily Show selling a book....hummm.... Picture that. He''s a u.s. puppet. And so are the other two who traveled their to start trouble. The people want gringo to go home!
"SAN''A, Yemen (AP) -- About 40 people, mostly Somalis, have drowned while crossing the Gulf of Aden on their way to Yemen in a desperate attempt to escape gunbattles back home, security officials and witnesses said Saturday.
About 90 others survived and managed to reach the Yemeni southern shores of Shokara after their rickety vessels capsized in the waters on Thursday, said a security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Fisherman Mohammed Saleh said beginning Thursday night, he saw bodies floating in the water.
"We saw mutilated bodies ... scattered along the shores," Saleh said."
FOR WHEN YOU REALLY GONNA NEED''EM...
Israel!
- Posted by tbweb at 12:46 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Guerrilla, not Gorilla.
Guerrilla.
you idiot piece of redneck, white trash, texas creep.
they still love bush in the south.
christian creeps, republican snakes...
oh well, that''s the south for you, folks!
Posted by cburn665 at 12:49 PM : Nov 04, 2007
I think it has "u.s. americans don''t have maps but want to teach others how to use them" written all over it.
Guerrilla.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 12:50 PM : Nov 04, 2007
A gorilla doesn''t know how to use hair color.
And what about Azzaam? Is that Jue instead of Jew?
- Posted by downtowner97 at 12:45 PM : Nov 04, 2007
That"s fine as long as it"s a two-way street, like every other alliance we have.
Not a "unique" relationship, where it"s all "Give" on one side and all "Take" on the other.
We need to develop a nonunique relationship with Israel.
- Posted by tbweb at 12:46 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Guerrilla, not Gorilla.
Guerrilla.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 12:50 PM : Nov 04, 2007,,,
What are you talking about? Gorilla is not a misspelling! Duh! Correct yourself!
go7ril7la (g-rl)
n.
1. The largest of the anthropoid apes (Gorilla gorilla) native to the forests of equatorial Africa, having a stocky body and coarse, dark brown or black hair.
2. Slang
a. A brutish man.
b. A thug.
Both Benazir and Shariff are just jokers out to make money.Musharraf is the right guy for the country at this stage.U.S must support him for his continued cooperation in the war on terror.
let the northern and western blue states combine with liberal canada.
let mexico have the southern red states.
man, if we could be rid of the redneck, republican christian south
america would really be a super country then!
ha,ha,ha.
war, hate, republikan snakes, christian creeps...
nothing good comes out of the south.
While generally democracy cannot be pushed upon a state, we can help to encourage locals to realize their dreams and achieve freedom. That is the greatest assurance of peace. Supporting dictators only defers the inevitable, collapse and chaos.
Subtlety is lost on ''tbweb''.
It is a rabid dead-brained Zionist apologist.
It understands only violence.
Posted by diehardrepub at 12:59 PM : Nov 04, 2007
Sie zogen ganz nach Jerusalem f|r die Parade um
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