Pervez Musharraf

Nearly seven years after 9/11, America has not only failed to capture Osama bin Laden; it has also allowed al-Qaeda to rebuild itself in lawless northwest Pakistan, near the Afghan border. The New York Times conducted more than four dozen interviews to discover how rivalries among American agencies, trouble with Pervez Musharraf, and the distraction of Iraq allowed al-Qaeda to foil Operation Cannonball, a highly classified CIA initiative. More »

A political rival blasted President Pervez Musharraf today, leading a massive crowd to chant “Hang him, hang him,” the New York Times reports. In a televised address that capped off days of protest in Islamabad, Nawaz Sharif grew heated: “We asked you to quit with honor after the election but you didn’t,” he said. “Now people have given a new judgment for you.” More »

Nawaz Sharif labeled Pervez Musharraf a "traitor" today, and claimed his allies in Pakistan's coalition government had agreed to oust the president, the AP reports. "A high treason case should be registered against him and he should be given the punishment of a traitor," Sharif told members of his Pakistan Muslim League. "There is no need to give him a safe exit."  More »

The second-largest party in Pakistan's ruling coalition pulled out today after a disagreement over the reinstatement of judges removed by President Pervez Musharraf, Bloomberg reports. Nawaz Sharif said nine Pakistan Muslim League ministers would leave the cabinet led by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, but would not enter the opposition, supporting the Pakistan People's Party "on an issue to issue basis." More »

The US is stepping up air strikes on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds in Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The Predator bombings—which neither the US or Pakistan will officially confirm—aim to rattle terror leaders out of hiding before the country's new leaders are expected to demand the US scale back its operations. The "shake the tree" strategy has reportedly killed 45 foreign fighters. More »

Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the release of 60 judges detained by Pervez Musharraf only minutes after being elected Pakistan's prime minister today, CBS reports. The president replaced the judges with a friendlier crop after imposing a state of emergency in November. If the freed justices are reinstated, a renewed legal challenge to Musharraf's election could ensue. More »

The party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said today it will name Pakistan's next premier this weekend, AFP reports. After former PM Nawaz Sharif's party pulled their  candidate as a "goodwill gesture," the PPP candidate will likely be sworn in Tuesday without much debate, the AP reports. Bhutto widower Asif Ali Zardari is a popular choice but remains ineligible; analysts say he may replace a temporary leader later on. More »

Pakistan's newly anti-Musharraf National Assembly was sworn in today, a month after politicians hostile to the president swept the general election. The new coalition has promised to reinstate the judges that the president booted when he declared a state of emergency in November. These judges would likely challenge the validity of Musharraf's reelection in October, reports Reuters. More »

A series of airstrikes on a Pakistan compound believed to be sheltering Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters killed at least 16 today, AFP reports, a day before the country's incoming government is to be sworn in. The declining security comes after a bomb exploded last night in an Islamabad restaurant crowded with foreigners, killing at least one person and wounding 11 others, including five Americans.  More »

Pakistani opposition parties formed a coalition today that snubbed President Pervez Musharraf. The alliance of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif and the late Benazir Bhutto's party will also reinstate the judges deposed by Musharraf last year. Having opposed Musharraf's reelection bid, the judges are also likely to challenge his presidency in court, Reuters reports. More »

Benazir Bhutto's party deferred its choice for PM candidate today, adding greater uncertainty to Pakistan's volatile political landscape, Bloomberg reports. Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the Pakistan People's Party's No. 2 and a longtime Bhutto loyalist, had been expected to take the top job today. But a meeting of the party's newly elected MPs split up without even discussing whom they would nominate. More »

A suicide bomber killed at least 39 people today gathered at an outdoor meeting of tribal elders in northwest Pakistan, Reuters reports, in the volatile country's latest bout of violence. The attack, which left scores of others wounded, occurred as the elders finalized security plans to “take steps against miscreants and help the government,” said an official. More »

His political future might be in doubt, but Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is still receiving forceful backing from the Bush administration after his party's drubbing in parliamentary elections—and it's angering Pakistanis, reports the New York Times . "I’ve never seen such an irrational, impractical move on the part of the US," said a political scientist at Lahore University, incredulous that Washington would sideline the two victorious parties, both moderate and pro-American. More »

Is Pervez Musharraf paranoid, or is everyone out to get him? After his party's hammering in this week's election, the answer seems to be both, the Guardian reports. "He's been sulking," said a senior party official of the Pakistani president. "He's retreated into a mental bunker. It's a dangerous mindset to be in at this point in time. He could decide to hit back." More »

Pakistan’s two major opposition leaders agreed today to one “common agenda” and will form a coalition government, the BBC reports. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari—widower of Benazir Bhutto and now head of the Pakistan People's Party—called for the immediate reinstatement of Pakistan’s chief justice, signaling the depth of the challenge to President Pervez Musharraf. More »

As the battle to control Pakistan heats up, President Pervez Musharraf's lawyers have asked the Swiss government to prosecute Asif Ali Zardari over decade-old corruption charges. Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto and leader of the victorious Pakistan People's Party, is charged with hiding $55 million in kickbacks in a Swiss bank account. Bhutto herself faced similar charges in Switzerland before her assassination. More »

The party of fallen Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is moving toward an alliance with longtime rival Nawaz Sharif after a strong showing in Monday's parliamentary election, Reuters reports. A coalition of the two parties, along with smaller independents, could control enough of the legislature to oust President Pervez Musharraf, a mutual foe, but bad blood could yet sink the deal. More »

The victors in the Pakistan elections favor negotiations with al-Qaeda and the Taliban over  military confrontation, reports the New York Times . “We will have a dialogue with those who are up in the mountains,” said Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. “We want to take all those along who are working against Pakistan.” More »

Pervez Musharraf wants to stay president despite his party's crushing defeat in Pakistan's national election, he told the Wall Street Journal today. He said he hopes to aid the country's transition to democracy and cooperate with the next prime minister. "We have to move forward in a way that we bring about a stable democratic government to Pakistan," he said. More »

President Pervez Musharraf's party has admitted defeat after losing a resounding two-thirds of its seats in parliament in Pakistan's parliamentary elections. Although final results are still not in, Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League have crushed the president's faction, which placed a distant third. The likely next prime minister is Makhdoom Amin Fahim, 68, a Bhutto loyalist and People's Party vice chairman, reports the Times of London. More »