Pakistani Police Continue Crackdown, Detain Activists

November 4, 2007 · Filed Under Terrorism, Terrorists, World News

Police and soldiers emboldened by state of emergency powers swept up hundreds of activists and opposition members on Sunday, and turned government buildings into barbed-wire compounds.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s government said parliamentary elections could be delayed up to a year as it tries to stamp out a growing Islamic militant threat.

Scores of paramilitary troops blocked access to the Supreme Court and parliament. Streets in the capital appeared largely calm, with only a handful of demonstrations. But one, attended by 40 people at the Marriott Hotel, was broken up by baton-wielding police.

Among them were Javed Hashmi, the acting president of the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif; cricket star-turned politician, Imran Khan; Asma Jehangir, chairman of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; and Hamid Gul, former chief of the main intelligence agency and and terrorist supporter.

Since retiring as head of the ISI, Hamid Gul spends his days meeting with Islamic radicals and giving fiery anti-American speeches. He has said on numerous occasions that Al-Qaeda has a right to possess nuclear weapons, and he considers himself a friend of Osama Bin Laden.

While it may seem like an extreme and anti-Democratic move to suspend the constitution, Musharraf must take any and all necessary actions to purge his government of Islamic extremists. Taliban style Sharia law is rapidly spreading across Pakistan due to the growing numbers of radicals in the northwest area of Pakistan.

These extremists are now spreading from the tribal areas in the northwest to major cities and provinces within Pakistan. The fact that Pakistan is a nuclear power, is all the more reason not to allow Islamic extremism to spread any further and destabilize the central government of Pervez Musharraf.

-Chris Jones