ISLAMABAD, 17 November 2007 — A senior US envoy arrived in Pakistan yesterday hours after freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said she did not recognize a new caretaker government that was sworn into office by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was to urge Musharraf to lift a state of emergency and release detained political activists.
In an apparent move to blunt criticism from the United States, authorities released opposition leaders including Benazir as well as a UN human rights expert from detention and let two independent news channels back on air.
But the general also pressed on with disputed plans for January elections, swearing in Mohammadmian Soomro to head a caretaker government charged with preparing Pakistan for the vote, and defending his record during the eight years since he seized power in a coup.
“I take pride in the fact that, being a man in uniform, I have actually introduced the essence of democracy in Pakistan, whether anyone believes it or not,” Musharraf said after the ceremony at the presidential palace.
It was unclear whether Negroponte would meet with Benazir. Negroponte arrived from a stop in Africa, where he said that the democratic process in Pakistan had been derailed. “Our message is that we want to work with the government and people of Pakistan and the political actors in Pakistan to put the political process back on track as soon as possible,” Negroponte said.
Benazir was one of thousands of opposition activists detained since Musharraf declared the emergency on Nov. 3. She was freed yesterday morning from house arrest imposed three days earlier to stop her from leading anti-Musharraf protests.
Police also freed two leaders of Islamic parties and Asma Jehangir, head of Pakistan’s main human rights organization and a UN rights expert.
Immediately after restrictions on Benazir’s movement were lifted, she called for a “people’s revolution” to end Musharraf’s rule and vowed to continue with the protest march that caused her to be detained in the first place. “This caretaker government is an extension of the PML-Q and is not acceptable,” she told a news conference. Benazir said she was in talks with key political leaders, including exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to try to form a united opposition front to replace the government. “I believe it is hard to build a coalition but I will take on the task. I talked to Nawaz Sharif and told him that I am discussing with all leaders the formation of an interim government.”
In Washington on Thursday, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates declined to say whether he thought Benazir would be more effective than Musharraf against international terrorism.
“I would say, though, that his ability to lead, to continue to be a partner in the war on terror very much depends on how developments unfold over the next few weeks in Pakistan,” Gates said. “He needs to move beyond the emergency measures as quickly as possible. I think our view is he needs to step out of army chief of staff role and become a civilian.”
Police Tear-Gas Protesters
Pakistani police fired tear gas yesterday to disperse a crowd comprising some 500 supporters of a religious alliance who were protesting against emergency rule, witnesses said. Trouble flared as police tried to arrest leaders of the six-party alliance Muttaheda Majlis-e-Amal for staging a rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
