The Center for American Progress addresses 'turmoil in Pakstan'

The Center for American Progress held a presentation November 30 on the “Turmoil in Pakistan: Implications for U.S. Security.” Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, mediated, and panelists included Senator Tom Daschle, a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; Robert Hathaway, the director for the Asia Division at the Woodrow Wilson Center; and Robert Grenier, the managing director at Kroll, Inc. and former CIA chief of station in Islamabad.

Given the current situation in Pakistan, Hathaway said there is no going back to where the United States or Pakistan was at the beginning of the year. Daschle, who visited Pakistan in October before the State of Emergency declaration was made, said that when he was there was “more of a pervasive sense of fear than at any other time,” noting specifically the treatment of the press and the judiciary, as well as the level of activity of intelligence agents at the local level. Circumstances in the country deteriorated across the board between May and October, he explained, adding that extremist elements were taking over, and women’s ability to move freely and participate politically had declined. The situation in Pakistan since then, Daschle said, has become much worse.

The panel focused a great deal on the dismissal of the Supreme Court and the restoration of the judiciary. Daschle described the judiciary as being a political and legal force that provided a counterbalance to Musharraf. According to Hathaway, the U.S. should not call for the restoration of the judges because it will not happen, rather, he said, Washington should call for the formation of a new independent judiciary. Disagreeing with solutions posed by some of the other panelists, Grenier recommended restoring the judiciary in stages, saying that a demand for a complete restoration all at once is unrealistic. The improvement of democracy in Pakistan, he said, is a generational process.

The U.S.’s relationship with Pakistan was discussed in detail, with Grenier saying it is important for the U.S. to be seen as a partner to the people of the country, as well as the military. The panelists agreed that aid should not be suspended, but they added that it should not be unconditional either. Hathaway explained that the U.S. needs to send a message to the people of Pakistan that they can count on the United States. In order to do this, he recommended that the U.S. not support individuals, but a process. As Daschle said: “My real concern is the degree to which the United States is linked to Musharraf.”

The alliance between Pakistan and the United States is largely based on counterterrorism. According to Grenier, however: “To look at counterterrorism in a narrow way in Pakistan is a big mistake.” While senior al-Qaeda cadres have been removed from urban areas in the country, he explained, the tribal areas of Pakistan are much more problematic, with considerable military losses.

According to Daschle, while U.S. involvement in Pakistan has implications, non-involvement does as well. Hathaway expanded on this statement, saying “inaction is not an option” when it comes to Pakistan. He made the recommendation, however, for the U.S. to remain modest in how much of an effect they can have on Pakistan’s politics, due to a lack of leverage on the U.S. side. As Hathaway states, “I doubt there is a ‘made in America’ solution for Pakistan.”

Congressional Human Rights Caucus holds briefing on Pakistan

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) held a briefing Friday on the human rights situation in Pakistan. Expert witnesses included T. Kumar, from Amnesty International; Tom Malinowski, from Human Rights Watch; Mohammad Akram Sheikh, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan; and Jennifer Leonard, from the International Crisis Group.

Convening the discussion, CHRC Director Hans Hogrefe emphasized the importance of holding the briefing in order to examine the current developments within the larger context of the situation regarding Pakistan. He said that “all these things are extremely, extremely troubling,” and it is necessary to urge Pakistan to return to a democratic process that respects the rule of law.

The United States’s relationship with Pakistan was discussed by all of the witnesses, and many suggestions were made regarding what the U.S. should do next. Pakistan, one of the United States allies, is “The only country that can make a difference at this point,” according to Kumar. He added that the U.S. should send a clear message that the actions of suspending the judiciary and constitution will not be accepted.

The development of a relationship with the people of Pakistan was suggested as an important change needed in American foreign policy. Malinowski said that the U.S. has been too preoccupied with who was ruling in Pakistan rather than developing the democratic institutions in the government. He suggested that the U.S. push for a restoration of the country’s governmental institutions, such as the judiciary and constitution, which are necessary for establishing a legitimate government and protecting Pakistan’s citizens.

U.S. interests were also a focus of the discussion. The United States’s relationship with Pakistan has been based on fighting terrorism, however, according to Malinowski, “Musharraf has done more to destabilize Pakistan than al-Qaeda could ever dream of.” Leonard also mentioned that while lawyers and human rights activists were being jailed, approximately 20 militants were released. She said that this shows a contrast in priorities, and a fear of secular groups rather than extremist ones. Malinowski added that while lawyers, judges, and human rights activists were being detained, Pakistan was not going after members of al-Qaeda. Episodes like these cause the people of Pakistan to become more cynical, making it harder for the U.S. to do what it needs to do, he said.

The recent statement by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte that Musharraf is an “indispensable” ally was decried as a mistake by the witnesses. According to Sheikh, Washington’s allegiance to Musharraf makes it harder to work with the Pakistani people, and strengthens Musharraf’s power. Sheikh said that in this way, Musharraf was holding Pakistani society hostage. Malinowski expanded on this statement, saying the U.S. has been unable to push Pakistan due to the fact the U.S. needs Musharraf for a problem Pakistan “helped sustain and create.” Sheikh suggested that the solution was to isolate Musharraf from his country’s institutions, thereby stripping him of his power.

Pakistan's Supreme Court upholds Musharraf election

The main outstanding challenges to General Pervez Musharraf’s election to another term as president were dismissed Monday by the newly-appointed Supreme Court, leaving only one petition remaining, The New York Times reported the same day.

Musharraf won the election on October 6, however, the Supreme Court ordered that the court hear challenges from other candidates before confirming the results.

The Supreme Court was then dismissed on November 3, and a new court of 11 judges, who took an oath under the temporary Provisional Constitutional Order, was established. Only four judges from the previous Supreme Court took the oath. The court is now considered to be pro-government, and a ruling in Musharraf’s favor was expected.

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Pakistan's state of emergency puts U.S. in difficult position

Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, key U.S. ally in counterterrorism, has imposed a state of emergency in his country, leading to a crackdown on human rights, and prompting protests from angry civilians. TIME featured the story in an article Thursday.

Musharraf has said that he plans to return Pakistan to democracy. However, as the article notes, he has worked against the institutions of a democratic society. On November 3, Musharraf suspended the constitution, suppressed independent media, fired top judges, jailed secular politicians, and sent troops to halt protests in cities.

“Those [Musharraf] has arrested are progressive, secular-minded people, while the terrorists are offered negotiations and cease-fires,” said Asma Jahangir, Pakistan’s best-known human rights activist.

The U.S. government has been allied with Musharraf largely because of his professed dedication to fighting terrorism. The Bush administration, though, has little in the way of real influence over him despite giving Pakistan more than $10 billion in aid since 2001, the article says, and it is unlikely that the U.S. will stop giving aid, because of the country’s key role in counterterrorism.

“We are mindful not to do anything that would undermine counterterrorism efforts,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said.

The state of emergency in Pakistan has only helped militants, though, according to the article. Rather than fighting these militant groups, Pakistan’s army and intelligence forces must now devote time, energy and resources to stamping out opposition protests in the cities.

Rumors have been spreading around the country of another coup. Upon hearing about this possibility, Abida Hussain, a former ambassador to the U.S., said: “If there were a coup, it would be the best day for Pakistan.”

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Fewer Afghans returning home from Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has temporarily suspended its voluntary Afghan repatriation program from Pakistan for the winter months, but will restart it in March of next year, IRIN reported Wednesday.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, over 3.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan.

However, despite bolstered financial assistance packages from UNHCR, the number of Afghan’s returning home is in decline due to security concerns.

“Indeed, the situation has deteriorated in parts of Afghanistan, especially the south, southeast and increasingly the central regions,” Vivian Tan, a spokeswoman for UNHCR, said. “Others said they cannot return for economic or social reasons, such as the lack of jobs, land, shelter, schools and clinics in Afghanistan,” she added.

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24 nations meet to discuss regional support for Afghanistan

On Sunday, 24 countries participated in a high-level meeting, co-chaired by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, to discuss peace and stability issues in Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

The United States, Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan were among those present. Topics discussed included security, law, human rights, international terrorism, and economic and social development strategies.

Participants also reviewed progress on the “Afghanistan Compact,” a five-year development plan launched in January 2006.

A major goal of the meeting was strengthening ties with the Afghanistan’s neighbors, especially Pakistan and Iran, in an attempt to secure their support in the peace-building process.

“While we help the Afghan government in their own efforts, the regional cooperation in the area of economy and security should also be strengthened, and there should be more efforts by President Karzai and Afghan leaders in promoting inclusive political dialogue for national reconciliation. All these efforts should be accompanied by international cooperation,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban said.

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Former exiled Pakistani Prime Minister announces her return to Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto, the exiled chairwoman of the Pakistan People’s Party and former prime minister, announced her plans to return to the country in order to promote change through democracy in a Washington Post op-ed piece published on Thursday.

Bhutto proclaimed the most central issue facing her country is extremism, but notes that, historically, religious fundamentalism has never dominated political consciousness. She further emphasized that Pakistan, at heart, is a moderate nation.

She also addressed her conversations with General Pervez Musharraf that have occurred over the past several months by maintaining that the meetings were intended to guarantee free elections in Pakistan. She further added that “[m]y dialogue with Musharraf aims to move the country forward from a dictatorship that has failed to stop the tribal areas from becoming havens for terrorists. The extremists are even spreading their tentacles into Pakistan's cities.”

Bhutto also touched upon the recent amendment to the constitution: “Last week brought a fresh challenge. Just days ago, Pakistan's election commission arbitrarily amended the constitutional provision regarding the eligibility of a person competent to contest for the office of president. As the constitution can be amended only through a two-thirds majority in Parliament, a judicial hornet's nest has been stirred, “she said.

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Red Mosque in Pakistan encourages radical Islam among young women

Hameeda Sarfraz, a 19 year old teenager from Pakistan voiced her regrets about missing her chance to be a martyr in an article run by The New York Times on Monday. Sarfraz attended Jamia Hafsa Islamic School for girls until July 3 when a battle between Pakistani specials forces and members of the Red Mosque broke out. The violence left 102 dead with casualties from all parties.

The battle for the Red Mosque began in January when reports that the government was going to destroy the illegally constructed mosques and seminaries in Islamabad were circulated. Since then, members of the girl’s school as well as the male counter part of Jamia Hafsa, Jamia Farida, have been preparing for a standoff with the Pakistani military. Students were warned of the possible encounter weeks before July 3, and were questioned by their instructors who asked, “Do you have the stamina to defend your religion? Are you ready?”

Since the confrontation, the girls have returned to their homes, mostly in the rural parts of Pakistan. Their families seem to be less “hard-lined” than their daughters, and consequently, many of the girls return home to reform their families. Several of the girls now teach religious lessons to the younger children in their village. Their change is apparent, and as one alumna, Sayeda Fazlur Rehman said, “We used to listen to music and watch TV before. We didn’t even pray.” Fazlur Rehman now observes purdah, the practices of shielding a female’s face in front of any male non-family member. “This life is temporary,” she explained, “You don’t know when you’ll die.”

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