* ‘Hundreds’ of activists arrested after police take leaders into preventive custody
* Supreme Court dismisses 2 out of 7 petitions against Musharraf’s re-election bid
* Musharraf will seek new five-year term in presidential election set for October 6
* Pakistan’s legal fraternity named first candidate to challenge MusharrafISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Police intensified a crackdown Monday that opposition parties say has left hundreds of activists in custody while the Supreme Court dismissed three challenges to the re-election bid of Pakistan’s military leader.
The U.S. Embassy called the crackdown “extremely disturbing” and urged the immediate release of several opposition leaders arrested since Saturday night. The government said they were detained to derail possible unrest.The criticism was unusually sharp, considering Washington has been one of the biggest supporters of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism.
“The reports of arrests of the leadership of several major Pakistani political parties are extremely disturbing and confusing for the friends of Pakistan,” an embassy statement said. “We wish to express our serious concern about these developments. These detainees should be released as soon as possible.” MORE
On June 5th, 2003, in a speech to the Troops in Qatar, the President stated:
We have made it clear that we’ll hunt the terrorists down. There’s no place they can hide from the justice of the United States of America and our friends. And right now we’ve got — we’re on the hunt in the Horn of Africa. And of course, in the battle of Iraq, you set an example of skill and daring that will stand for all time. (Applause.) The very first strike in the liberation of Iraq started from right here, and many others followed. Missions of mercy are directed from here. LINK
Fast-forward to September 25, 2007 - and let this U.S. Intelligence Report sink-in to fully understand the folly and incompetence Bush and Cheney have demonstrated in prosecuting “the War on Terror.”
U.S. Intelligence Report to Say Al-Qaida Regroupsby Linda Wertheimer and Mary Louise Kelly
Morning Edition, July 17, 2007 • The National Intelligence Estimate, a survey of threats to the U.S. compiled from intelligence gathered by CIA, FBI, State Department and military intelligence agencies, is expected to report a persistent and evolving terrorist threat to the U.S. in the next three years from al-Qaeda. LINK
That’s right, in the final analysis, IF the United States would have stuck with President Bush’s policy of not allowing terrorists safe-haven no matter where they were, we would have followed and finished-off the leadership of Al Qaeda, The Taliban, and the lawless tribes of northern Pakistan would have been unable to destabilize the government of President Musharraf.
Look at this issue in perspective; The US is reported to have attack plans in place to bomb Iran at a moments notice; LINK Bombing Iran is a guarantee that President Musharraf’s government will dissolve almost as fast as President Bush’s ratings have, and then we are faced with a country controlled by Radical Islam that would possess NUCLEAR WEAPONS!
LINK
There now little doubt that Pakistan is the stronghold for Al Qaeda, and we cannot allow Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to fall into the hands of Radical Islam and Al Qaeda - and strong action is required by the US Military to help intervene in this situation and place the emphasis on where it’s desperately needed - Pakistan, and not Iran!
William Cormier
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