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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/04/30/wpak30.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/04/30/ixworld.html Daily Telegraph April 30, 2002 Army mobilised to ensure vote for Musharraf [America's and Britain's favorite President General. Sponsor of the Taliban and now the West's chief ally in the 'war against terrorism'; he who disposed the former elected president of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, and threatened to hang him; who won't permit former presidents Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to return to the country to run in elections. Does the West hold such political pecadilloes against the President Dictator? Of course not. Former president Bill Clinton made a special flight into Pakistan in 2000 to visit the exemplary guardian of democracy; George Bush the Second, shining beacon of electoral democracy himself, welcomed the Deposer President to the White House. Musharraf joins the illustrious ranks of fellow General Presidents in Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville, etc., all faithful military clients of the Cililized World, the International Community and the Humanitarian Interventionists. It's only popularly elected civilian officials like those in Yugoslavia prior to October of 2000, in Belarus, Venezuela, Liberia, Zimbabwe, etc. that Washington, London and its allies have problems with. As we've been reminded recently by a leading Western luminary, it's not democracy just because someone has won an election. Just the opposite, evidently.] Army mobilised to ensure vote for Musharraf By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore PAKISTANIS vote in a referendum today on extending Gen Pervaiz Musharraf's term as president for five years, but opposition is growing to the continuation of what many see as undiluted military rule. Motorcyclists drive past a poster of Gen Musharraf in Islamabad Gen Musharraf, who has mobilised the army, the intelligence services, the bureaucracy and industrialists to ensure a solid turnout for a Yes vote, is likely to win easily. But his credibility among voters has fallen sharply after his announcement last month that he would not share power with a civilian prime minister after elections scheduled to be held in October. Pakistan's major opposition parties started their anti-referendum campaign on Saturday with a rally in Lahore called by the Alliance to Restore Democracy. All the large Islamic groups were among the 33 political parties taking part in the rally. They have condemned today's referendum as unconstitutional, urged the public to boycott it and demanded an immediate general election. It was the first non-government rally in nearly three years after Gen Musharraf banned political meetings in 1999. It was also the first time since then that people had seen posters of the former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, who are in exile and refused military permission to return. Once bitter enemies, their parties have joined the alliance to fight what they call military dictatorship. "Go Musharraf go, no referendum no," the crowd chanted as political leaders whipped up them into a frenzy of anti-army slogans. Only a few thousand people took part, partly because tens of thousands of police were deployed around Punjab to prevent busloads of alliance supporters from reaching the city. The president's 16 rallies in the past month have also drawn only meagre crowds. But Gen Musharraf's face is everywhere - 60ft high, hand-painted posters of him dressed in combat uniform promising to lead Pakistan from violence and underdevelopment to prosperity. The general, who seized power in a coup in 1999, gained enormous domestic and international support after September 11, when he sided with America in its war against terrorism. Continuing violence by extremist groups and a worsening law and order situation are damaging his credibility. On Saturday, 12 women were massacred in a mosque 200 miles west of Lahore by Sunni Muslim extremists. The women were from the Shia Muslim sect. Anyone over 18 can vote in the referendum, no identification is required and there are no polling lists, so people could vote several times at different booths. There will be no counting of votes at individual polling stations, no observers to watch for dirty tricks and all the results will be declared by a central computer in Islamabad where numbers can be easily fudged. "Musharraf is pointing a gun at the nation's head and expects it to do his bidding, but we will not do so," said Asma Jehangir, a leading Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist. America has not commented on the referendum except to say it is Pakistan's internal affair. A European ambassador in Islamabad said: "The international community is not prepared to criticise the military unless there is going to be trouble in the streets." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
