Pakistan election postponed for two months

[tekisui]

BBC reports that Pakistan’s up coming election will be postponed for two months.

no link yet.

Bhutto's party had rejected a delay in elections.

[TwilightGardener]

1. It's for the best. They need to regroup and let things settle down--

the country is too much on edge to do something potentially volatile right now.

[ConsAreLiars]

4. So you side with Chimpy and the dictator and against the party

that had its candidate murdered? Think about that.

(edit to rephrase)

[yourout]

2. This is going to get very very ugly.

[gateley]

3. Last I heard was that the PPP said they wanted the elections to take place, and

encouraged the third party (Sharif?) person to participate, also, and he agreed as long as it was a transparent election.

I'd heard before that Bushco isn't wild aobut Sharif(?) because of his religious ties.

Maybe since Sharif has agreed, Bushco has put on the brakes?

How's that for unwarranted speculation? :7

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. As always, I'll look to Biden to lay it out for us what's really going on.

[TeamJordan23]

5. Postponement helps Musharraf's party (PML-Q) - who were likely behind the assassination.

The PML-Q and their leaders (the Chaudhry family) act as though they are the mafia of Pakistan. They back Musharraf and one one side support the "war on terror" while continuing to support and finance hardline religious teachings. Thus, with ties to Islamists militant groups (not likely Al-Queda though), they could easily have recruited suicide bombers to carry out this mission. They truly feared that Bhutto as PM would have been a threat to their power and riches.

One thing the US should have done was to closely monitor Musharraf more closely since 9/11 and after all the aid the US govt promised to Musharraf. Musharraf has been playing the US and his country from both sides of his mouth. Publically, stating that he is going to hunt down the terrorists. But Quietly, not doing much about it and letting his political party act like the mafia of the Punjab area.

[Jennifer C]

6. Yeah, it helps Musharraf

He doesn't want the PPP to get the sympathy vote. He's hoping after 2 months it will die down.