PAKISTAN AT THE CROSSROADS:

bristol | protests | announcement Wednesday January 09, 2008 14:12 by bristol respect coalition bristolunity at hotmail dot com

The War on Terror and the Fight for Democracy

The struggle for real democracy in Pakistan must continue.

Public Meeting
Saturday 2nd February 2.30pm
Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Street

PAKISTAN AT THE CROSSROADS: the War on Terror and the Fight for Democracy
with

Amer Salman, Bangladesh Association (personal capacity)

Yuri Prasad, (Respect)

Farooq Siddique, Bristol Muslim Cultural Society (personal capacity)


Refreshments Available
All Welcome

Organised by Bristol Respect Coalition
07988 653 751

The struggle for real democracy in Pakistan must continue. The world has been stunned by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. This contradictory figure was the first woman leader of a Muslim country but her rule was marked by allegations of corruption. She recently returned to Pakistan from exile to stand in the forthcoming Pakistani elections – though her stance was shaped by her allegiance to the US and British 'war on terror'.

Her murder is likely to throw Pakistan into an even greater political crisis. Underlying the current crisis are the contradictions of Pakistan's role in the 'war on terror'. Musharraf has overseen a massive expansion of Pakistan's military role in the regions bordering Afghanistan – with more than 85,000 Pakistani troops now involved in brutal operations in the north of the country. At the same time, he is committed to economic neo-liberalism, opening up the Pakistani economy to multinational capital.

US defence secretary Robert Gates has stated that his greatest concern is that the political instability of emergency rule will distract the army from the fight against 'extremist forces'. Meanwhile, despite rhetoric about 'reviewing' aid to Pakistan, the US is planning to expand its military role in the country by sending 'special forces' to train Pakistan's frontier corps and to replicate operations in Iraq, in which the US military trains and arms local militias to fight 'insurgents'.

Nahella Ashraf, Chair of Greater Manchester Stop the War, says 'Many Pakistanis living in this country are of the opinion that Pakistan is not ready for a democracy as it is too young a country. In fact, many have gone so far as to say the military dictatorship has kept the country stable and free from corruption. This may have been the case at one time, but all it offers the country now is instability, taking it further away from democracy. This was what Musharraf did when he dismissed the country's independent judiciary for attempting to uphold the constitution.'

'Many supporters of Bhutto's father, who was elected on the motto: 'Food, shelter and clothing for all' felt let down by his daughter but whatever the rights and wrongs of Bhutto's candidacy, and her previous incarnations as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, this truly is a tragic day for Pakistan and its people.'

Pakistan is still living with the consequences of British colonialism and partition. Struggles for democracy in Pakistan, such as the mass workers movements of the 1970s have been quashed by the military or ruling families time and time again. The human cost of partition is equally tragic. Over 20 million people crossed the borders and border violence resulted in 1.5 million deaths.

Of course Pakistan is not the only country to have their history shaped by a disastrous British partition. The partition of Palestine has produced similarly tragic results. And just as the struggle for justice for the Palestinians continues, so to the struggle for real democracy in Pakistan must continue also.

This is an edited extract from Preston Respect's statement on the current situation in Pakistan. For the full statement, visit www.prestonrespect.org.