Pakistan: Who needs these sort of friends?

The West has courted Pakistan because it is said to be assisting in the war against terrorism. What seems to have been conveniently overlooked has been that General Musharraf is a dictator who seized power in a military coup. So, does the latest news out of Pakistan about the arrest of the Chief Justice come as a surprise? - or that the West has been circumspect in relation to any comments which have been made? Absolutely not!

Things are obviously taking a decidedly nasty turn as this report from the Central Chronicle shows:

"The situation in Pakistan seems to be heading out of control. Protests against the sacking of the Chief Justice Iftikar Mohd Chaudhry are spreading to other parts of the country.

Amid intensified protests over suspension of Chaudhry, which saw the police enter the Lahore High Court and attack lawyers, President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said a conspiracy was being hatched against him on the issue and vowed to defeat it.

But the storm of protests erupting across Pakistan is no longer just about President Musharraf's dismissal of Chaudhry.

In the latest standoff, a thousand lawyers were locked in a battle with the police at the Lahore High Court. Riot police fired teargas, rubber bullets and swung batons at the lawyers.

A TV crew was also attacked and three journalists were injured."

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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