Is Anyone Keeping An Eye On Pakistan?

Don't Want To Be An Alarmist

We have all heard the lawyer jokes that poke fun at a profession whose job it is to at times take a situation that is not a problem and turn it into a problem. But the picture of lawyers in Pakistan protesting the arrest of political leaders and other lawyers is no joke. This is just one of the protests that is going on around the country against the new government. This new leadership is drawing comparisons to the old government led by General Musharraf.



This new administration that is led by Asif Ali Zardari (widower of Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007) has seen an increase in the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in addition to a struggling economy. He is also viewed has having inherited the position and not having earned it, with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being more popular with the masses.

Zardari has instituted two week bans on gatherings of more than 4 people which is being ignored around the country. Marches are being held that are supposed to meet in Islamabad on Monday. The army has said that it wants to stay of the politics of the country, but if the trouble persists they could very well step in.

All of this unrest going on in a country that has nuclear capabilities and those close to the trigger who could very well have leanings that are not in the best interests of the United States or the world. What is our response to all of this?

I have not heard anything specific from the Secretary if State or the President. Richard Holbrooke, our envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan "expressed concern about the political turmoil, and Washington is conducting a "major policy review" that "is expected to extend more aid to the Zardari government to help it counter the insurgency that is increasingly destabilizing the nuclear-armed nation."

While our leaders are concerned with the economy, implementing a new system of healthcare and with lowering taxes on all but the wealthiest 5% of Americans, perhaps, just perhaps, if this stress in Pakistan is not adequately addressed the need for these other "fixes" could be moot. Sphere: Related Content