Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Philadelphia Inquirer
August 12, 2008
A leader cites U.S. influence and urged an uprising against the state and president.
By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf, a U.S. ally, yesterday received a direct violent threat from al-Qaeda while his political opponents convened parliament to begin impeachment proceedings against him.
In a video, al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for an uprising not only against Musharraf but also against the Pakistani state, which he said was "virtually ruled from the American Embassy."
He spoke in English for the first time in a recording, apologizing for being unable to speak Pakistan's Urdu language.
The video came as Pakistan's elected parliament met in a special session for impeachment proceedings.
Zawahiri denounced Musharraf in particular for his crackdown last year on Islamabad's radical Red Mosque - an army raid that resulted in about 100 deaths - and his treatment of renegade Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, who has been under house arrest for four years.
Although al-Qaeda has little support in Pakistan, Zawahiri picked two grievances that resonate widely.
"Pervez has insulted and compromised Pakistan's sovereignty by allowing the CIA and FBI to operate freely in Pakistan and arrest, interrogate, torture, deport and detain any person, whether Pakistani or not, for as long as they like, thus turning the Pakistani army and security agencies into hunting dogs in the contemporary crusade," said Zawahiri, an Egyptian who is considered the terrorist group's chief ideologue.
The extremist vitriol against Musharraf, a former army chief who turned 65 yesterday, demonstrated how dangerous it would be for him to remain in Pakistan after leaving office.
Currently, he has massive security, and has survived several assassination attempts. There is speculation he will be offered refuge in the United States, where his son Bilal lives, or in Turkey, where he spent his childhood.
Under Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup, Pakistan allied itself with Washington against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
However, the Pakistanis have been at best reluctant warriors against Islamic extremists, who have found a haven along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Parliament needs a two-thirds majority to convict him, and the numbers look close if members vote along party lines. Some coalition members suggested yesterday that their campaign would go beyond impeachment and seek treason charges, which carry the death penalty.
"After impeachment, there should be a public trial," said Nisar Ali Khan, a leading member of the coalition, standing outside parliament.
The impeachment process could take until Sept. 3, ministers indicated, which is the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The charges are expected to be based on Musharraf's alleged subversion of the constitution.
First, all four of the country's provincial parliaments are to pass resolutions against Musharraf, in hopes of pressuring him to step down voluntarily.
The assembly of the Punjab, the country's most powerful province, started yesterday with a resolution that declared Musharraf unfit for office, which passed by an overwhelming 321-25 amid chants of "Go, Musharraf, go!"
August 12, 2008
A leader cites U.S. influence and urged an uprising against the state and president.
By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf, a U.S. ally, yesterday received a direct violent threat from al-Qaeda while his political opponents convened parliament to begin impeachment proceedings against him.
In a video, al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for an uprising not only against Musharraf but also against the Pakistani state, which he said was "virtually ruled from the American Embassy."
He spoke in English for the first time in a recording, apologizing for being unable to speak Pakistan's Urdu language.
The video came as Pakistan's elected parliament met in a special session for impeachment proceedings.
Zawahiri denounced Musharraf in particular for his crackdown last year on Islamabad's radical Red Mosque - an army raid that resulted in about 100 deaths - and his treatment of renegade Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, who has been under house arrest for four years.
Although al-Qaeda has little support in Pakistan, Zawahiri picked two grievances that resonate widely.
"Pervez has insulted and compromised Pakistan's sovereignty by allowing the CIA and FBI to operate freely in Pakistan and arrest, interrogate, torture, deport and detain any person, whether Pakistani or not, for as long as they like, thus turning the Pakistani army and security agencies into hunting dogs in the contemporary crusade," said Zawahiri, an Egyptian who is considered the terrorist group's chief ideologue.
The extremist vitriol against Musharraf, a former army chief who turned 65 yesterday, demonstrated how dangerous it would be for him to remain in Pakistan after leaving office.
Currently, he has massive security, and has survived several assassination attempts. There is speculation he will be offered refuge in the United States, where his son Bilal lives, or in Turkey, where he spent his childhood.
Under Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup, Pakistan allied itself with Washington against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
However, the Pakistanis have been at best reluctant warriors against Islamic extremists, who have found a haven along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Parliament needs a two-thirds majority to convict him, and the numbers look close if members vote along party lines. Some coalition members suggested yesterday that their campaign would go beyond impeachment and seek treason charges, which carry the death penalty.
"After impeachment, there should be a public trial," said Nisar Ali Khan, a leading member of the coalition, standing outside parliament.
The impeachment process could take until Sept. 3, ministers indicated, which is the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The charges are expected to be based on Musharraf's alleged subversion of the constitution.
First, all four of the country's provincial parliaments are to pass resolutions against Musharraf, in hopes of pressuring him to step down voluntarily.
The assembly of the Punjab, the country's most powerful province, started yesterday with a resolution that declared Musharraf unfit for office, which passed by an overwhelming 321-25 amid chants of "Go, Musharraf, go!"