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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:19 PM
Original message
*Pakistan-Watch Thread*
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 12:24 PM by Viva_La_Revolution


The first reports are starting to trickle in...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan put its paramilitary forces on "red alert" across the country on Thursday after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto sparked violent protests by her supporters.

President Pervez Musharraf denounced what he called a terrorist attack and appealed for calm after angry backers of the slain former prime minister took to the streets across Pakistan, from the Himalayas to the southern coast.

The unrest was predictably fiercest in her native Sindh province and its capital, Karachi.

"Police in Sindh have been put on red alert," said a senior police official. "We have increased deployment and are patrolling in all the towns and cities, as there is trouble almost everywhere."

Reports said security was deteriorating in Karachi, where thousands poured on to the streets to protest. At least three banks, a government office and a post office were set on fire, a witness said.

more - http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSSP30253320071227


This could get really, really bad. :(
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ck4829 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
1. Calm? I'm half tempted to ask why.
Musharraf's not going to do anything to bring her murderers to justice.
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lame54 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:22 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. I'm surprised he didn't ask them to go shopping
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SpiralHawk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:50 PM
Response to Reply #2
32. "Great idea !" - Commander AWOL
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Marrah_G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
19. The why would be not wanting the Taliban to gain control
A chaotic civil war in Pakistan can have very bad results for the entire earth. Except maybe for the roaches.
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:45 PM
Response to Reply #1
29. Well considering the 98% chance that he is involved in her death
why would he?:sarcasm:
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NightWatcher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:24 PM
Response to Original message
3. "An Archduke Ferdinand moment" what Thom Hartmann called it
he said it could melt into a real bad thing for the region.

We all know what happened after he got knocked off...WW1
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:47 PM
Response to Reply #3
30. Yep Thom is right...this kind of catalyst was bound to happen
with the sloppy work of Condi Rice and this administration.

This is very bad....
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OzarkDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 03:15 PM
Response to Reply #3
39. We survived Anwar Sadat's assasination
The world can survive this one without starting more wars.
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Individualist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
45. That thought occurred to me when I first heard the news this morning
Time will tell.
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TwilightGardener Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:25 PM
Response to Original message
4. Kinda seems silly now to have 160,000 troops bogged down in a country
that posed no threat to us, doesn't it? Pretty obvious where the REAL center of the terror threat is--and where it isn't.
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Democrat 4 Ever Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:41 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. I probably should know this but have to ask....What political hack
has Chucklenuts installed as ambassador to Pakistan? How bad is he/she going to screw up the United States response/help in this crisis? Please tell me it isn't a Bush Ranger who is a military contractor just dying for a few more no-bid contractors in a war zone. Just what we need another front where the neocons can make money while the world blows up around us.

If ever a situation called for a statesman, a Secretary of State with some bona fide ability to negoiate without pissing everyone off, someone besides a deep-pocketed neocon, clueless rethug contributor, it is now. Please tell me that Chucklenuts & The Cabal hasn't appointed some dimwit in the hottest section of the world.
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TwilightGardener Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:44 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. I don't know who it is, but I do know that Negroponte was sent to deal
with Pakistan during the state of emergency crackdown in November. Condi wasn't up to the job.
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Democrat 4 Ever Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:48 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Well, Neogroponte has done such a fine job in all his other assignments.
/sarcasm off

Do the neocons/rethugs have a baby mill some place that churns out these incompetent nincompoops? Where do they find these people? Next thing we know Chucklenuts will be sending John Bolton over to whip everyone into shape. And Condi goes shoe shopping...
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Billy Burnett Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:50 PM
Response to Reply #8
33. Anywhere Negroponte goes, the assassinations and death squads mysteriously show up.
Coinkydink?


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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:48 PM
Response to Reply #6
9. U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 12:52 PM by Viva_La_Revolution
http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/

And we've got Karzai too, who just happened to be in Pakistan for 2 days of meetings with (among others) Musharraf and Bhutto.
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OzarkDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 03:22 PM
Response to Reply #9
40. Here resume reads like covert CIA - Poppy Bush style
International Narcotics & Law Enforcement at State Dept., El Salvador, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, she's been around. Not likely that she will have the best interests of the US in mind unless they coincide with the BFEE agenda....



Prior to her assignment to Pakistan, Ambassador Patterson served as the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Ambassador Patterson also served as the Deputy Permanent Representative and Acting Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations from 2004 to 2005.

A Career Minister in the Foreign Service of the United States, Ambassador Patterson has also served as the Deputy Inspector General of the Department of State from 2003 to 2004, Ambassador to Colombia from 2000 to 2003, and Ambassador to El Salvador from 1997 to 2000.

Ambassador Patterson joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1973 as an economic officer. She has served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Inter-American Affairs and as Office Director for Andean Affairs. Mrs. Patterson also served as Political Counselor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva from 1988 to 1991 and as Economic Counselor in Saudi Arabia from 1984 to 1988. She has held a variety of other economic and political assignments, including in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

Ambassador Patterson received the State Departments Superior Honor award in 1981 and 1988, its Meritorious Honor award in 1977 and 1983, and a Presidential Honor award in 1993. She has also received the Order of the Congress from the Congress of Colombia, and the Order of Boyacá, from the Government of Colombia. Ambassador Patterson was also recognized by the Government of El Salvador with the Order of José Matias Delgado.

Ambassador Patterson was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She graduated from Wellesley College and attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina. She is married and has two sons.
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spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 05:52 PM
Response to Reply #4
51. afghanistan & pakistan have been the true dangers....but the oil was too tempting
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:39 PM
Response to Original message
5. Mourning Benazir Bhutto
Mourning Benazir Bhutto
Dilawar Syed December 27, 2007
Tags: Benazir Bhutto , assassination , eulogy , elections , PPP

The country is in a state of shock today. We have lost the leader of the most popular political party in the country. Ill-advised policies of the past many years and severe polarization the country witnessed under the military rule led to the circumstances behind today's tragedy. We became too accustomedto the violence, to the suicide blasts, and to the usurping of rules and rights by strong men at the helm. We have paid the price today. Nawaz Sharif is correct when he says that something unthinkable has happened in Rawalpindi this evening. The country is on the brink of disaster. Banks are burning, government buildings are on fire, emotionally charged political workers are streaming on streets across Pakistan. Time for Pakistanis to wake up, to shake off the apathy, to unite, and to rise against the injustices perpetuated against them.

While many will disagree with Benazir Bhutto on ideological grounds, or argue that her rule was short on delivery, she clearly was the most gifted leader Pakistan has seen who spent 25 out of 30 years of her political career in opposition, championing the cause of democracy with extraordinary vigor against military dictators. That is Benazir's legacy. A legacy that will only strengthen Pakistan People's Party's stance and core philosophy.

With Benazir Bhutto's loss today, a huge leadership vaccum has been created in Pakistan. We have lost a towering centrist, moderate figure who served as a rallying point for millions of Pakistanis.
more - http://www.chowk.com/articles/13263


~~~~~~~~~~
CNNInternational reports 3-4 police deaths so far...
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:42 PM
Response to Original message
7. Violent protests erupt in Pakistan after Bhutto assassination
Violent protests erupt in Pakistan after Bhutto assassination

ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (KUNA) -- Benazir Bhutto's assassination Thursday has erupted violent protests across the country and all entry and exit points of major cities were closed.
Immediately after the news of Bhutto assassination, her supporters came on roads in Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan, Quetta and several other small cities, police sources and eyewitnesses told KUNA.

They resorted to aerial firing and set on ablaze several vehicles, said sources.

There were also reports of causalities received from Lahore and Peshawar cities. All markets and bazaars were closed.

All entry and exit points of four major cities and the capital have also been closed.
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10344&Itemid=88

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eShirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:51 PM
Response to Original message
11. CNN IBN (India - English language) is providing updates of the situation in Pakistan
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 12:54 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. Thanks! new info already...
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 12:55 PM by Viva_La_Revolution
Bhutto was shot 5 times in the neck and chest. Shots fired from 2 different directions!

10 people already dead in Karachi (sp?)

...
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:21 PM
Response to Reply #12
14. 1000's of shops burned in Karachi...
14 vehicles burned, authorities seem helpless. No police presence anywhere to be seen, people are preparing to protect themselves from chaos...
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eShirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:41 PM
Response to Reply #11
28. CNN.com live video is carrying live feed of PTV (Pakistan, non-English)
http://www.cnn.com/video/?iref=videoglobal
click on Live Video; it is currently the third video feed on the right (click to open it)
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:06 PM
Response to Original message
13. Pakistani Blog Updates:
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 01:09 PM by Viva_La_Revolution
pakistani Spectator
In Rawalpindi, right in front of Rawalpindi General Hospital where Late Benazir Bhutto died and her dead body is present right now, workers of People's Party are sitting and weeping loudly. In other areas of Rawalpindi like Faizabad, Saddar and Murree Road, angry crowd is burning shops and vehicles and shouting slogans against the terorists.

On Dusht Road, Peshawar, angry crowd has blocked the main road.

All the roads leading to capital Islamabad have been barricaded and blocked and there are reports of collision of police with protesters.

more -
http://www.pakspectator.blogspot.com/2007/12/update-on-benazir-death-rawalpindi.html


Metroblogging Karachi
Gathering from numerous sources, mobile calls and text messages from friends, it appears that a huge number of people are stuck right on the main roads all engulfed in panic, chaos and disorder. The situation is not only bad, there is no way the stream of vehicles that left their shops and offices for home can do a mass reversal. Even turning off the cars engine and parking them on the road - like we Karachites do during heavy rains - is not possible as everyone is worried about the property. This is going to be a tough night for a lot of people out there.
more -
http://karachi.metblogs.com/
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #13
17. Escaping Chaos - A personal account
My brother and I were near jail road when I heard about the death of BB and decided to jet home (which is near Millenium Mall). While going down Stadium Road towards Dalmia, we saw traffic being diverted towards Gulshan-e-Iqbal to the right.We took the route in to end up at University Road and decided to take right from the NIPA bridge, however the traffic was gridlocked and it seemed that the only logical route to take was to reverse slightly and head towards Gulshan Chowrangi.

After waiting for over 20 mins, we started seeing crowds of people frantically walking towards us and passing us, looking back over their shoulders. One of the people told us that cars were set ablaze just over the NIPA bridge, as if they were running from something. A few moments later we heard some screaming, smashing of glass and when we looked behind us, barely 4-5 cars away, a car was set ablaze right under NIPA bridge.

more - http://karachi.metblogs.com/
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:45 PM
Response to Reply #13
18. GlobalVoices Special Coverage - Blogs...
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:25 PM
Response to Original message
15. Sharif's Party to Boycott Elections
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 01:27 PM
Response to Reply #15
16. What Happens Now in Pakistan? - CounterPunch
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 01:29 PM by Viva_La_Revolution
Obviously, this guy was not a fan of Bhutto...

What Happens Now in Pakistan?
Killing Bhutto
By OMER SUBHANI

1. I have to start off with my recent perceptions of her. She was a corrupt politician who was more interested in her political legacy than in the welfare of her nation and people. President Bush said today that Bhutto was someone who fought against terrorism. She did so, conveniently, post 9-11. During the mid 1990s she was openly pro-Taliban as the Pakistani government was one of the few nations in the world that recognized that neo-Khawarij regime.

2. Her death could cause major problems for Pakistan, but I think Musharraf will be smart about this and will likely move to some sort of martial law system in order to curb violence and unrest. He needs to postpone elections only briefly because otherwise his opponents will claim he is attempting to block the political process.

3. I was surprised somewhat by the coverage of Bhutto in the US press this morning. CNN changed her picture three times this morning around 8:45 AM. Every picture tried to portray her as some sort of fallen angel. Again, this is a woman who sold out her people in order to increase her bank account as well as killing her political opponents.

4. Pakistan and Democracy: what happens now? Nawaz Sharif is a nobody. Musharraf is on thin ice. Who will lead Pakistan? It's a very grim situation there, but one thing is for certain: most Pakistanis are moderate people who are inclined to Western values of democracy and freedom in their truest sense. They are progressive and liberal in many facets. Extremism does not have a great hold in Pakistan, but what should be rightfully feared is that someone in the military who is pro-Taliban & al-Qaeda will take over as Musharraf did. I don't think that's a likely possibility, but it is a possibility nonetheless. Pakistanis need to regroup and really rally for democracy.

more - http://www.counterpunch.org/subhani12272007.html
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:53 PM
Response to Reply #16
34. It's amazing he doesn't find that Mushariff bedding with the Taliban
is not offensive.

Apparantly those rose colored glasses are preventing him from seeing what the death of Mrs. Bhutto really means. Typical Rethuglican idiot.
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:04 PM
Response to Original message
20. Updates: new info about shooting, cable and cell service disabled, 40 dead...
According to reports from General Hospital Rawalpindi and from the district head quarter, the number of dead has reached to 40 and the number of seriously injured is 60, and all those 60 are serious, while some 50 people have received minor injuries. Injured have been shifted to CMH, MH, General Head Quarters Hospital, and Central Hospitals of Rawalpindi.
http://pakspectator.blogspot.com/2007/12/update-on-benazir-death-20-dead-and-60.html


Bhutto, after completing her address at the party rally and entering a bomb and bulletproof vehicle, reportedly opened the vehicle’s sunroof and shook hands with her supporters through it, exposing the top half of her body. An assassin, perhaps briefly preceded by a suicide blast nearby, fired three to five shots at her; one struck Ms. Bhutto in the head and the other in her neck. The assassination then blew himself up.
Rehman Malik, Bhutto’s chief security adviser and Naheed Khan, a close Bhutto friend are critically injured. Over thirty others have been killed.
http://pakistanpolicy.com/2007/12/27/breaking-news-benazir-bhutto-assassinated-in-suicide-attack/

aftermath: Riots are being reported in various cities. Rawalpindi is in chaos. Cable and cell phone services has been suspended in most of the country. Rumors are flying of curfews. No word from Musharraf, yet. link to Getty Images’ collection of photos taken at the rally by Aamir Qureshi.
http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/benazir_bhutto_1953-2007.html

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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:08 PM
Response to Original message
21. US Officials report Pakistani Army on "Red Alert"
per CNN
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Karenina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:09 PM
Response to Original message
22. This up-to-the-minute report
is what I was seeking. Thanx, Viva! :loveya:
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libnnc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:11 PM
Response to Original message
23. kick
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:21 PM
Response to Original message
24. Update: 4 PML-N activists killed, 16 injured in gunfire
4 PML-N activists killed, 16 injured in gunfire
ISLAMABAD: At least 4 activists of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) were killed while 16 other sustained serious bullet injuries when gunman opened fire at caravan of Former Premier Nawaz Sharif campaigning for elections due on January 08. While Nawaz Sharif has condemned the incident and termed it as targeted.

PML-N blamed supporters of Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar candidate Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), as the gruesome incident that occurred at Karal Chowk near Airport road, busiest Central Islamabad highway of Federal Capital.

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was about a mile away when gunmen opened fire on people gathering for a rally at Karal Chowk. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was coming from Gujar Khan to Rawalpindi to address corner meeting in Rawalpindi and Ratta Amoral.

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Melinda Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:36 PM
Response to Original message
25. Thank you for this. *kick*
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:39 PM
Response to Original message
26. Bhutto's death likely to roil Pakistan markets
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto will likely rattle the country's equity markets, eroding confidence at least in the short term in a market that's been one of the best performers in Asia, observers said.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/emerging-markets-report-bhutto-assassination/story.aspx?guid=%7BC385F0E1-3352-404D-B4BF-B9E0FEDBA3C1%7D&dist=hplatest
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mogster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:40 PM
Response to Original message
27. This is sad, sad news
For depth about the 1999 to present situation, see this long post:
The 1999 Pakistan coup and related events - timeline (BBC articles)
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/mogster/345
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:50 PM
Response to Original message
31. Oh yea...* is on Vacation he is not going to interupt his vacation
for a national tradgedy nor a Nuclear implicattion tradgedy in the World.

Just as he abandoned his Air Force pilot job he is abandoning the most important job in the United States.

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Bozita Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:54 PM
Response to Original message
35. IMHO, the MSM will be pulling the good ol' fear demons out of the closets and inflating them.
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bemildred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 02:58 PM
Response to Original message
36. Rioting engulfs Pakistan in wake of Bhutto assassination
Rioting engulfed Pakistan on Thursday hours after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

State media and her party confirmed her death. "She has been martyred," said party official Rehman Malik.

"It is the act of those who want to disintegrate Pakistan because she was a symbol of unity. They have finished the Bhutto family. They are enemies of Pakistan," senior Bhutto party official Farzana Raja told Reuters.

Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up. "The man first fired at Bhutto's vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up," said police officer Mohammad Shahid.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/939100.html
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 03:06 PM
Response to Original message
37. Bhutto assassination throws wrench into U.S. policy on Pakistan
BY MATTHEW LEE
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON - The Bush administration scrambled Thursday with the implications of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto after investing significant diplomatic capital in promoting reconciliation between the Pakistani opposition leader and President Pervez Musharraf.

President George W. Bush, speaking briefly to reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanded that those responsible for the killing be brought to justice and the White House said there needs to be a thorough investigation.

"The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," said Bush, who looked tense and took no questions.

He expressed his deepest condolences to Bhutto's family and to the families of others slain in the attack and to all the people of Pakistan.

more - http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=92919&sc=89
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 03:10 PM
Response to Reply #37
38. Sen. Specter and Rep. Kennedy are in Islamabad!
WASHINGTON --Two U.S. lawmakers scheduled to meet Thursday with former Pakastani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf were advised to leave the country after Bhutto's assassination.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview from his Islamabad hotel room that he and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were to dine with Musharraf and meet later in the night with Bhutto.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/politics/story/230361.html
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eShirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:03 PM
Response to Reply #38
41. wow!
Hope they are safe.



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Karenina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:11 PM
Response to Reply #41
42. Kick!
:kick:
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me b zola Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:16 PM
Response to Original message
43. kick
:(
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:17 PM
Response to Original message
44. Violence follows assassination...Rice calls for calm
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 04:28 PM by Viva_La_Revolution
Violence follows assassination...Rice calls for calm

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has called an emergency meeting with top-level government officials to discuss whether to postpone upcoming parliamentary elections, now that opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed. Another opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, says his party will boycott the election, and he's calling for Musharraf to step down.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) A provincial leader in southern Pakistan is warning that troops will be deployed if needed to stop violence in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. At least one person has been killed in clashes between protesters and police. And Bhutto supporters have set fire to a number of structures.

WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging Pakistanis to remain calm following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Rice says the people and political leaders should work together toward a "more moderate, peaceful and democratic future."


WASHINGTON (AP) Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Patrick Kennedy have been advised to leave Pakistan in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's death. The lawmakers were supposed to meet today with Bhutto and President Musharraf. The two, along with other U.S.

official, laid flowers at Bhutto's office upon hearing of her death.
http://www.kxmb.com/News/192727.asp
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AngryOldDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:21 PM
Response to Original message
46. "Could get really, really bad"?
Edited on Thu Dec-27-07 04:21 PM by AngryOldDem
This opens the door to a lot of shit, such as Musharraf canceling the elections and re-establishing military rule. And those are the **least** of Pakistan's problems right now.
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mogster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:21 PM
Response to Original message
47. Some news headlines
Bhutto killers cowards says Brown
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the killers of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as "cowards afraid of democracy".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7161737.stm

Bhutto death: How it happened
Benazir Bhutto was killed as she left a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad, where she had spoken to an audience of thousands ahead of next month's general election.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161666.stm

Obituary: Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto followed her father into politics, and both of them died because of it - he was executed in 1979, she fell victim to an apparent suicide bomb attack.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2228796.stm

Life in pictures: Benazir Bhutto
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7161605.stm

Reactions to Bhutto assassination
The killing of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack at an election rally in Rawalpindi has drawn widespread national and international condemnation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161660.stm

Benazir Bhutto assassinated at rally
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232619,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

Profile: Benazir Bhutto
Moderniser, moderate, martyr

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232491,00.html

Suspects in the Bhutto assassination
In the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Mark Tran looks at the background to the crisis in Pakistan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232496,00.html

Who did it? (Jason Burke)
There are many obvious suspects, but it is unlikely that we will ever know who is responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jason_burke/2007/12/who_did_it.html

Possible scenarios after death of Pakistan's Bhutto
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL292928.htm
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libnnc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 04:59 PM
Response to Original message
48. kick
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Kurovski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 05:46 PM
Response to Original message
49. K&R. (nt)
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uppityperson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 05:51 PM
Response to Original message
50. k&r with much thanks for posting this. nt
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JCMach1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 06:11 PM
Response to Original message
52. Bad rioting going on right now
My friend's family flew out of Lahore with minutes to spare before they shut down the airport... they are now safely back in Dubai.
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 08:04 PM
Response to Original message
53. Riots claim 10 lives - Angry people take to streets, burn property
Riots claim 10 lives

Angry people take to streets, burn property

Staff Reporters

LAHORE: Following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the emotionally-charged workers of the Pakistan People's Party with the support of other political workers stormed and paralysed different cities in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan on Thursday. The angry protestors took to the streets, pelted stones, burned government and private property and various vehicles besides chanting slogans against the government. At least ten people were killed in different parts of the country including two in Lahore during the exchange of fire. Sporadic gunfire could be heard echoing around the streets of Lahore where shops and vehicles could be seen on fire. The markets and shops immediately closed down as paramilitary patrols roamed the streets in an attempt to keep a lid on the violence, a local police officer said. In Karachi, police said at least 70 vehicles were burnt by protesters, including 35 trucks filled with wheat. All petrol pumps were immediately closed as knots of protesters blocked many roads.

Witnesses said that as news spread of Benazir's assassination, the streets of Karachi were clogged with traffic as panicked people tried to rush home but were later deserted. The mood was also tense in Larkana where two banks were set on fire, witnesses said. In Multan, an angry mob damaged 10 banks, while baton-wielding youths burned posters, portraits and hoardings of PML-Q.

The military sealed off the garrison area, and many passengers were left stranded at railway and bus stops as public transport ground to a halt. Police arrested three rioters in Multan. As angry supporters looked for a scapegoat for her death, residents in the Sindh town of Jacobabad said shops belonging to the family of interim Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro were burned down.

lots more - http://thepost.com.pk/Fb_ShortNews.aspx?fbshortid=2585&fcatid=14&fstatus=Current&bcatid=14&bstatus=Current
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 08:21 PM
Response to Original message
54. Blog - Deadpan Thoughts - " It is now close to 3 am in Pakistan as i write this...."
A Dark Hour
Posted on December 27, 2007 by faisalk
It is now close to 3 am in Pakistan as i write this. Still the mourners and activists of Pakistan’s People’s party are roaming the streets of various cities in our land chanting slogans like “Blood for Blood”. In Karachi alone more than a 100 vehicles have been torched, on Main Shahrae Faisal miscreants mixing in with activists, stopped cars and robbed the occupants before setting them alight.

Their have been instances of people entering neighborhoods in Karachi..screaming to the house occupants to extinguish all lights coming from the houses to join the mourning or suffer. There is aura of death hanging over this city, the streets are deserted lit only with the smoldering remains of vehicles or tires burning indiscriminately on the roads. As i mentioned earlier the National Hospital had been also set on fire, which is just difficult to absorb. Banks have been also looted and many petrol stations set ablaze, two on Dalmia road alone. Shops which did not close immediately have been fired upon, sometimes fatally and set ablaze. Many government symbols and buildings have been attacked and damaged in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukher as well as around the country. In short one can see flames in all parts of the country on the T.V. Even the railway stations have not been spared with station cash and station terminals being set on fire and destroyed, these include Rohri, Ghutki and stations close to Karachi.


More - http://faisalk.wordpress.com/2007/12/27/benazir-murdered-update-ii/
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 08:36 PM
Response to Original message
55. Bhutto assassination: 15 dead in Pak riots
Islamabad, Dec 28 (DPA) At least 15 people were killed in nationwide riots that continued early Friday following the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, with angry mobs torching dozens of vehicles and government buildings, ransacking banks and shops, and clashing with police.

The violence began after Bhutto was shot dead at a political rally in the city of Rawalpindi Thursday afternoon. Most of the riots centred in the southern province of Sindh, her political stronghold.

Thousands of distraught supporters took to the streets in Sindh's provincial capital Karachi, blocked roads with burning tyres and pelted riot police with stones. Around 100 vehicles were set on fire, according to several Pakistan-based television stations.

"The entire city is on fire," said local resident Khuda Baksh.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=62060
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
56. The Prime Minister is urging New Zealanders to abandon any idea of travelling to Pakistan.
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=79970&fm=newsmain,nrhl

Australians have been advised not to travel to parts of Pakistan following the assassination of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
http://news.theage.com.au/travel-warning-issued-for-pakistan/20071228-1jb0.html

The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against non-essential travel to Pakistan in light of the threat of terrorist activity.



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shadowknows69 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-27-07 11:13 PM
Response to Reply #56
57. I hope that would fal into the "common sense" category
BTW thanks so much for posting this thread VLR. I doubt I'm sleeping much tonight so I'm gonna keep reading.
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 12:32 AM
Response to Reply #57
59. I'd be keeping my butt safely out of there too.
You're welcome. :)
The news day is just cranking up over there, not much new reported in the last several hours, but the early editions are starting to come out now...
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 12:23 AM
Response to Original message
58. Bhutto's body arrives for burial in family graveyard, Funeral 2pm PST.
Bhutto's body arrives for burial in family graveyard ISLAMABAD, Dec 28 (AFP): The body of slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto arrived in Naudero before dawn Friday for burial in the family's graveyard, party officials said. The plane landed in Sukkur from where the body and members of her family were flown by helicopter to Naudero, her spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP. Her husband Asif Zardari, their three children and some senior leaders of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) travelled on the plane. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)

Benazir Bhutto's funeral to start at 2p.m. PST KARACHI, Dec 28: The funeral and burial of slain Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto will be held in Garhi Khuda Baksh, Naudero after Friday prayers, at about 2p.m. Pakistan Standard Time. A senior party leader said, Bhutto, 54, is to be buried in the family's ancestral graveyard in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh near the town of Larkana. Her grave is to be next to that of former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. around noon, they said. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/rss.htm#9
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bemildred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 12:39 AM
Response to Original message
60. Gunmen kill Pakistani policeman in Karachi
KARACHI - UNIDENTIFIED gunmen shot dead a policeman in a stronghold of assassinated Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Karachi on Friday, a day after she was killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi, police said.

---

The streets of Pakistan's biggest city were largely deserted on Friday with most shops shuttered and paramilitary troops and police patrolling.

---

A reporter travelling from Karachi to the Bhuttos' home district of Larkana said he saw hundreds of burnt-out vehicles and people were coming out on Friday morning and setting fire to more and trying to block roads.

---

'People are very angry. They attacked banks and government offices. There were no police anywhere. Two shops selling weapons were also looted,' Ms Maula Baksh, a journalist based in Larkana, said of the Thursday night violence.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Asia/STIStory_190746.html
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 01:02 AM
Response to Original message
61. KC resident visiting Pakistan describes chaos
One Kansas City resident got a firsthand look at the chaos that tore through Pakistan after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Nabeeha Kazi, a Pakistani-American who is visiting family in Pakistan, described to The Kansas City Star by e-mail on Thursday the scene that engulfed the city of Karachi, about 500 miles from the assassination site. That’s where Kazi happened to be shopping with her mother at an open market.

“It is a disaster here,” Kazi wrote. “Chaos broke out as soon as we found out that (Bhutto) had been attacked. The city is in an incredibly unstable and dangerous predicament.”

More - http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/420918.html
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 01:56 AM
Response to Original message
62. India orders “high state of vigil” on Pakistan border
India orders “high state of vigil” on Pakistan border NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters): India has ordered its border forces to “a high state of vigil” after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto raised the spectre of chaos in Pakistan spilling over to its nuclear-armed neighbour. “There has been a general advisory to all the border forces to maintain a high state of vigil. You can guess why,” a Home Ministry spokesman told Reuters on Friday. “There are no specific threats as yet. They have been put on alert, there have been various speculations, jihadis, the spillover effect.” (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/rss.htm#8
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eShirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 05:32 AM
Response to Original message
63. Bhutto's body about to arrive at her burial in minutes
live coverage from CNN-IBN (India, English language)
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/streaming-260.html

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CabalPowered Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 09:14 AM
Response to Original message
64. Thanks for all the links.
Kick..
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bemildred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-28-07 09:25 AM
Response to Original message
65. Violent protests rock Pakistan
Violent protests and clashes have occurred across Pakistan after the killing of Benazir Bhutto, the opposition politician and former prime minister, in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Upon hearing the news of her death, supporters ransacked banks and burned train stations in riots across the country.

At least 16 people, including three policemen, were killed in the province of Sindh, Bhutto's ancestral home, following the assassination, Reuters news agency reported on Friday.

Akhtar Zaman, the Sindh interior minister, said the toll covered the period from 6pm on Thursday when violence first erupted as word spread of Bhutto's killing.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D804F355-D988-4EA9-9476-E049D6106BC6.htm
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Karenina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-29-07 01:05 PM
Response to Reply #65
66. Kick for Saturday updates
http://www.thenews.com.pk/

Bullet wound was seen on Benazir’s head: Sherry Rehman
ISLAMABAD: "There was a bullet wound I saw that went in from the back of her head and came out the other side," Bhutto's spokeswoman Sherry Rehman, who was involved in washing her body for burial, said.

The government blamed Bhutto's killing on al-Qaida and Taliban militants operating with increasing impunity in the lawless tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

"This is ridiculous, dangerous nonsense because it is a cover-up of what actually happened," Sherry Rehman said referring to government claim.

Farooq Naik, Bhutto's lawyer and a senior PPP official, said Bhutto had a second bullet wound in the abdomen...
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uppityperson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-29-07 01:37 PM
Response to Original message
67. kick again with thanks.
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