Pakistan???

[Loosehead]

Can some enlightened soul give be a summary of the situation in Pakistan. This seems to have passed me by over the last week or so. Has there been an election? What's Bhuto doing back on th scene? Where has she been?
Thanks

[sp1814]

All I got from the news is that she was away for eight years in self-imposed exile. She came back offering a power sharing deal with the current leadership.

Not sure who was behind the bombing thought.

89 dead!

[jno]

that'll be Islamic militants, Taliban maybe, who disapprove of women politicians. Musharraf is always walking a tight line between appeasing Washington and appeasing local hardliners, plus he's power crazed. He suspended a high court judge who opposed the government line, but the supreme court reinstated him. This judge (I think it was) said Nawaz Sharif, leader of an opposition party, could return from exile. Musharraf got panicky and cut a deal with Benazir, leader of a different oppositiion party, saying she too could return from exile and their parties could form an alliance against Sharif. Benazir extracted a promise in return that Musharraf would retire from the army and be a civilian leader. I've no idea if any of these promises will be kept. The election isn't due till January but could be earlier.

[jno]

here's a Q&A

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/66 53475.stm

[Oakleaf51]

Who wqas behind the bombings?
Wel she is for dmocracy, and guess who don't like that?
Yes the muslim extremists, even though pakistan is muslim.
Shell be lucky to see the year out with all them muslim nutters out to kill her.

[Buenchico]

Benazir Bhutto's self-imposed exile came about because she was facing hundreds of corruption charges. Although the charges may have been brought against her for political reasons, its likely that the majority of them were well-founded.

Pervez Musharraf 'won' the recent election, in the sense that Pakistan's electoral commission confirmed that he received the majority of the votes. However, his eligibility to serve as elected president is still subject to a legal ruling from Pakistan's courts. (The courts must decide whether the constitution simply requires him to relinquish his military post, in which case he can serve, or whether his nomination and subsequent election were void because he was in the army at the time of his nomination and election).

The uncertainty over the election results has weakened Musharraf's power in Pakistan. The USA, UK and other western countries want him to stay in power because of his anti-extremist stance. He has been put under pressure to enter into an alliance to strengthen his power base. Accordingly, he has dropped all of the charges against Benazir Bhutto, so that she can return to Pakistan and negotiate a possible alliance which might see Benazir Bhutto become Prime Minister again. (However, that can only happen with constitutional changes).

Benazir Bhutto has already expressed her support for American forces being given the right to operate within Pakistan against extremist forces. Unsurprisingly, this has made her the target of threats and attacks from those same extremists.

Chris

[Gromit]

An importanrt fact missing from above.

Pervez Musharraf depsed Bhutto in a military coup in 1999, and the country has been run under a Junta/Dictatorship ever since. Musharraf has been a major ally in the war against terror because Pakistan borders Afghanistan. In return, huge amounts of American aid have gone to Pakistan. With the War going badly, dragging on for years and the general population anti-American, Musharraf has been greatly weakened. A power sharing deal with Bhutto (with Musharraf becoming Prime Minister) was a last grasp to keep some power.
Hence Bhuttos return.

[kempie]

Gromit - Benazir Bhutto was not deposed by Musharraf. She had been dismissed from the office of Prime Minister by then President Farooq Leghari 3 years prior to the 1999 coup. Bhutto fled Pakistan about 6 months before Musharraf took power.

[Gromit]

kempie

You are correct.

[Booldawg]

kempie is the only consistently correct person on the AB :-), closely followed by SP1814.