Terror Takes Center Stage in Pakistan Vote

Bhutto, Sharif blast Musharraf for rise in extremist attacks
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2007 1:20 PM CST
Terror Takes Center Stage in Pakistan Vote
Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto rally during their leaders election campaign in Larkana, Pakistan Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007. Bhutto on Sunday accused President Pervez Musharraf's government of failing to crush militants in the Islamic nation. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)   (Associated Press)

Two weeks ahead of elections, Islamic extremism has become a central issue in the intensifying three-way race for control of Pakistan's parliament, AFP reports. Benazir Bhutto yesterday took her campaign to Peshawar, the heart of the troubled northwest, and bashed Pervez Musharraf's handling of the terrorist threat. Militants have promised to disrupt the January 8 polling.

Although Musharraf is a key US ally, Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif charge he has done little to quell the rising wave of suicide attacks, which were once rare in Pakistan. Bhutto's rally in Peshawar, near the Afghan border, drew extreme security. A bomb ripped through a cable TV station in the city ahead of her arrival, the Times of India reports. (More Benazir Bhutto stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X