Bhutto released from house arrest in Pakistan

Bhutto released from house arrest
The situation in Pakistan right now seems to be reaching a boiling point. One one side you have Musharaf, who took power through a coup back in 1999. Then you have Ms. Bhutto, who fled the country amid allegations of corruption, after being prime minister for two terms. The former is a military leader, who is also the President of Pakistan, and has been an ally in America's war of terror, the later is seen as a progressive/moderate who could keep Pakistan from slipping into chaos.

The recent actions taken by Musharaf as of late give me cause for concern. He has suspended the constitution, dismissed all of the Supreme court justices, and jailed hundreds of protesters. Now that the country is living under martial law, and citizens don't have the right to protest. How can we prop up a leader that has taken away such basic rights, with billions in aid. I guess the administration prefers the strong man, in the case of Pakistan, instead of lawlessness that could ensue if he was deposed. We have to remember that Pakistan does posses nuclear bombs, and has been known to let technology "leave" the country.

Ms. Bhutto would like to sweep in from the wings, and resume her role as prime minister. Or at least as was first proposed, share power with Musharaf. But talks broke down, her welcome home bus was bombed, and general unrest has taken over. While her appearance does give promise of a more democratic system returning to Pakistan, I have a feeling we will continue to support Mr. Musharaf.

I guess we will see in the elections that are supposed to be held in February. If Ms. Bhutto is able to create the sort of groundswell we saw with the attorneys in that country, we could see a change in administration sooner than we think.