Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 12:20:18 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Pitched Power Battle Triggered by Bhutto Death

Posted Dec 28, 07 3:23 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – The assassination of Benazir Bhutto will exacerbate already fraught tensions between competing Pakistani political parties, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bhutto's secular, generally pro-Western Pakistan Peoples' Party was expected to do well in upcoming parliamentary elections, but the future of the PPP is now uncertain in the aftermath of Bhutto's death. Numerous Pakistani political factions will now battle for political standing.

Possible interim leaders for the party include its former vice chairman, as well as Bhutto's own husband. Meanwhile, the conservative Islamic opposition groups of varying sizes and clout, as well as some militant groups with direct ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, will face fierce competition from Pakistan’s military, which wields considerable political influence.

Source Wall Street Journal

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Zardari Slapped With Fatwa for Flirting With Palin

    Oct 2, 08 12:32 PM CDT
    Zardari Slapped With Fatwa for Flirting With Palin Asif Ali Zardari’s overly-friendly interaction with Sarah Palin earned Pakistan’s president a fatwa from a conservative mosque for salacious behavior, not to mention the scorn of feminists who accuse him of objectifying the US vice-presidential candidate, the Christian Science Monitor reports. At the UN last week, Zardari told Palin she was “gorgeous,” continuing, “Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you.” More »

  • Taliban Leader Suspected in Bhutto Killing Dead

    Sep 30, 08 4:43 PM CDT
    Taliban Leader Suspected in Bhutto Killing Dead The Taliban leader suspected in the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto died today, officials tell CNN. Baitullah Mehsud, believed to be 34, succumbed to kidney failure, sources in his native tribal region of South Waziristan said; though Pakistani military officials also claimed Mehsud had died, some Taliban representatives denied it.
    More »

  • Once-Nurtured Militants Have Pakistan Teetering on Brink

    Sep 28, 08 2:37 PM CDT
    Once-Nurtured Militants Have Pakistan Teetering on Brink Pakistan’s government is caught between two overbearing powers: the Taliban fighters who want to destroy it, and the American officials who inflame tensions between the government and its people. “The Pakistanis are truly concerned about their whole country unraveling,” a Western military official tells Dexter Filkins, who sketches the evolution of Pakistan’s crisis in the New York Times.
    More »

  • Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss

    Sep 14, 08 3:59 PM CDT
    Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss The Bush administration felt a pending bittersweet goodbye when news leaked that North Korea's Kim Jong-Il likely had a stroke last month, the New York Times reports. True, officials had called Kim a "tyrant" and a "pigmy," but they knew he kept close tabs on his nation's nuclear arsenal. Now North Korea, like Pakistan, is a volatile country without a dictator to keep its nukes in check.
    More »

  • Pakistan's Zardari Sworn In

    Sep 9, 08 9:33 AM CDT
    Pakistan's Zardari Sworn In Asif Ali Zardari took office as Pakistan's new president today, facing immediate pressure to crack down on Islamic militants and address daunting economic problems. Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai was present at a brief ceremony to swear in the widower of assassinated ex-PM Benazir Bhutto, his presence an imposing reminder of Zardari’s task ahead. "We are in the eye of the storm," Zardari said later. More »

The flag of Pakistan is lowered to half staff in front of Pakistan's Embassy in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007 following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN...   (Associated Press)
People carry the coffin of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at a local hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack earlier Thursday...   (Associated Press)
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto mourn outside an operating theater of a local hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

Pakistan • Pervez Musharraf • Benazir Bhutto • assassination • Pakistan elections



Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »