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Pakistan
Rejects Concern Over Democracy, Bush Praises Musharraf
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| Musharraf |
ISLAMABAD,
August 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Pakistan rejected the
concern of U.S. officials regarding Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf’s controversial moves to broaden his powers, including
sacking an elected parliament, while U.S. President George W. Bush
praised his ally. Meanwhile, the U.S signed an agreement rescheduling
payments on some three billion dollars in arrears and interest on
debts owed by Pakistan.
Pakistan
on Friday, August 23, rejected as “ill-informed” U.S. expressions
of concern over its commitment to democracy, on the eve of a visit
here by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
U.S.
officials upbraided President Pervez Musharraf for awarding himself
sweeping powers by single-handedly amending the constitution to enable
the president to sack parliament, and cementing a military role in
politics.
State
Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the United States was
“concerned that his recent decision could make it more difficult to
build strong democratic institutions in Pakistan.”
Bush
however was less challenging, as he steered clear of criticizing
Musharraf’s moves, praising instead his help in the “war on
terrorism.”
“He’s
still tight with us on the war against terror, and that’s what I
appreciate,” the U.S. leader told reporters, vowing to “work with
our friends and allies to promote democracy.”
Bush’s
comments, which came in response to reporters’ questions about the
political situation in Pakistan, appeared to strike a less challenging
tone than reactions from his own spokesman and the U.S. State
Department, AFP said.
Earlier,
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer upbraided Musharraf, saying the
U.S. president “expects” the army chief, who seized power in a
bloodless 1999 coup, to fulfill his promise to hold free and fair
elections.
“It’s
important for Pakistan to follow the path to democracy. The president
believes that the path to democracy is the best path for all
nations,” Fleischer told reporters.
Musharraf,
who declared himself president in June 2001, announced several
“irreversible” constitutional changes Wednesday, August 21,
declaring that he did not need parliamentary approval.
Among
the most controversial is the establishment of a powerful National
Security Council comprising four military chiefs and eight civilian
politicians who will oversee government and “foreign policy
decisions and national issues.”
Washington’s
policy toward Pakistan has been perceived by pro-democracy activists
as tolerating controversial moves by Musharraf because of his key role
in wiping out the Taliban and pursuing Al-Qaeda.
They
came just ahead of Armitage’s second trip to Pakistan this year.
Armitage
would convey U.S. concerns on democracy issues to Musharraf during
talks here Saturday, after swinging through New Delhi, officials said.
“He’ll
make sure that Musharraf understands our views. He’ll be sharing
what’s already been said,” a U.S. embassy spokesman told AFP,
declining to be named.
Armitage
would also discuss the eight-month military standoff between Pakistan
and India over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
On
Wednesday, the Pakistani leader, who also gave himself the power to
sack an elected parliament, defended his National Security Council
plan by saying that including the military in politics would prevent
future coups.
“I
say, if you want to keep the military out you have to get them in, and
I mean every word of it,” said Musharraf, who also announced that he
would remain both president and army chief for the next five years.
By
sacking the national assembly, the prime minister and cabinet would
also be automatically sacked.
Pakistani
opposition parties, lawyers and rights groups cried foul Thursday,
with some vowing to undo the changes after voters elect a new
parliament on October 10.
The
New York Time’s editorial on Friday branded Bush’s response
“tepid ...embarrassing,” saying that any long-term strategy
against terrorism must include “support for democracy throughout the
Islamic world.”
The
daily said Washington should remember that its uncritical support of
military ruler Zia ul-Haq, during Pakistan’s drive against the
occupying Soviet forces in the 1980s, allowed him to turn Pakistan
“into a hotbed for Islamic extremists, including many Arabs who
eventually found their way into Osama bin Laden’s terror network.”
Only
hours after Bush’s reaction to Musharraf’s decision, U.S.
Ambassador Nancy Powel in Islamabad signed an agreement Friday
rescheduling payments on some three billion dollars in arrears and
interest on debts owed by Pakistan to the United States as of November
2001.
At
a signing ceremony attended by U.S. ambassador Powel and Waqar Masood
Khan, additional secretary of Pakistan’s economic affairs
department, the parties agreed to postpone repayments on 2.3 billion
dollars of overseas development aid (ODA) loans until May, 2017.
The
signing also formalized an earlier agreement which consolidates 700
million in non-ODA debt, postponing payments until May 2007.
Under
its terms, Pakistan will be required to repay the 2.3 billion dollar
ODA debt over 38 years at an unstated “average of originally agreed
concessional rates”.
The
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged
August 9 100 million dollars in education aid to Pakistan, one month
after officially returning to the Islamic republic after a seven year
absence.
The
grant, to be disbursed over the next five years, is the first
official donation of U.S. humanitarian aid to Pakistan since sanctions
were imposed in September 1995 in protest against Islamabad’s
nuclear weapons program.
Washington
has, however, given Islamabad un-programmed aid totaling about one
billion dollars, including a 600 million dollar cash grant in
November, since Bush lifted sanctions against Pakistan following the
September 11 terror attacks, said USAID Pakistan Director Mark Ward.
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