[NYTr] IAC Statement on the crisis in Pakistan

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International Action Center - Nov 9, 2007
http://iacenter.org/

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Statement from the International Action Center

The International Action Center condemns the ongoing U.S. support for 
the brutal military dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.

Musharraf, who first seized power in a 1999 coup, has declared martial 
law in a desperate attempt to bolster his faltering dictatorship.   
Opposition leaders have been arrested.  Peaceful political meetings
have been raided. All international and private news channels have been
shut down, with only the state-owned stations allowed to remain on the
air.

Musharraf's attempt to silence dissent has failed.  Every day, more and 
more of the people of Pakistan are taking to the streets, despite the 
ominous presence and brutality of the U.S.-armed troops.

Meanwhile, Washington is desperately exploring its options to maintain 
control over the government of Pakistan.  For eight years, the U.S. 
government has depended on Musharraf as an ally in Washington's crusade 
to dominate the region and crush national liberation movements. 

But now, with the resistance in Iraq continuing and with the refusal of 
Iran to bow to the demands of Washington, popular movements opposing
the U.S. agenda have gained new confidence.  Musharraf now faces the
real possibility of being overthrown by forces who oppose his 
collaborationist policies.

Some in the Bush Administration may be looking to Benazir Bhutto as a 
solution to their problem.  Before the declaration of martial law, the 
U.S. attempted to force Musharraf to accept a power-sharing deal with 
Benazir Bhutto, a billionaire former prime minister who was ousted for 
corruption.  This deal was engineered, in part, by National
Intelligence Director John Negroponte, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
and one of the people responsible for the death squad campaigns against
the people of El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980's.

The International Action Center calls for the immediate end of all U.S. 
support for the brutal Musharraf dictatorship.  We call for the
complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the region, including
neighboring Afghanistan.

We join with working people all over the world in expressing our 
solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the 
U.S.-imposed dictatorship.

Stop U.S. Aid to Musharraf!

Hands Off Pakistan!

U.S. Out of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq!