JayT Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Pakistan bombing underscores risks to Zardari presidency The Associated Press Sunday, September 7, 2008 PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The death toll in a devastating suicide blast has reached 35, officials said Sunday, as Pakistan prepared for Benazir Bhutto's widower to take over as president. The suicide attack Saturday underscored the militant threat facing the country and its president-elect, Asif Ali Zardari, who was expected to be sworn in by Tuesday. Dozens of people were wounded in the bombing when an explosives-packed pickup blew up at a police checkpoint on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province. A spokeman for the Taliban, Maulvi Umar, said that the organization's militants had carried out the attack but they apparently had another target in mind; that seemed to confirm an earlier theory offered by officials, citing the large amount of explosives used. Umar speculated that the driver feared being discovered at the checkpoint and decided to detonate. Umar said that there had been no plan to attack the checkpoint, but the Taliban were satisfied because seven police officers were killed. [color:brown]Zardari, 53, who has little governing experience[/color] and spent 11 years in jail on corruption charges that remain unproven, will succeed Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month under the threat of impeachment. Unofficial results from voting in the two houses of Parliament and four provincial assemblies indicated that Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, had won 479 of 702 votes. His closest competitor, Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, won 153 votes. A third candidate, Mushahid Hussain Syed, received 43 votes. The results were expected to be certified by the Election Commission. [color:brown]Zardari has the tacit approval of the United States,[/color] which views him as an ally in the campaign against terrorism. He has promised a tougher fight against Taliban and Qaeda militants in the nation's tribal areas, which they virtually control. They use the areas as a base from which to mount assaults on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. After Bhutto was killed in December, Zardari became the leader of the Pakistan People's Party, which was founded by Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zardari led the party to victory in a parliamentary vote Feb. 18 and formed a coalition with Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. The coalition collapsed last month amid a dispute over whether to reinstate the 60 judges fired by Musharraf in November. In a sign of conciliation, Sharif telephoned Zardari on Saturday to congratulate him on his victory, according to television accounts. The White House issued a statement of support for Zardari on Saturday. Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said, "President Bush looks forward to working with him, Prime Minister Gilani and the government of Pakistan on issues important to both countries, including counterterrorism and making sure Pakistan has a stable and secure economy." Zardari's aides have promised that he would agree to the elimination of a constitutional provision that allows the president to dismiss Parliament, long considered a weak institution. After the vote, Zardari said: "Parliament will be sovereign. This president shall be subservient to the Parliament." But there was considerable skepticism among politicians and in the news media that Zardari would agree to a diminution of power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 To think the Pakistan people have nukes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 ...and soon Iran and North Korea will also have nukes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 ...and soon Iran and North Korea will also have nukes! I might have my own nuke built before Iran. What I need is a place to see if my model works. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTO Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Where's Fidel? PPP is now also in power in Pakastan - he must be spinning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 He's promised to get tougher with the Taliban. No coups required to unseat politicians in Pakistan....I wonder how long he'll last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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