Spring Break
Ruling coalition collapses
Slain Bhutto's party could tighten hold
Asif Shahzad
Issue date: 8/26/08 Section: News
The shake up caps a week of upheaval in Pakistan's political landscape.
Musharraf quit Monday, nine years after he seized power in a military coup, to avoid impeachment charges.
With their common foe gone, the coalition that drove him from office frayed over unkept promises to restore the judges and Zardari's decision to seek the presidency.
Concern that the turmoil was distracting the government from tackling urgent economic and security issues was born out Thursday when twin Taliban suicide bombers killed 67 people at an arms factory near the capital.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced Monday that the group responsible for the attack, the Tehrik-e-Taliban, was banned.
He said the militants had "created mayhem" in the nuclear-armed nation.
Anyone caught aiding the Taliban in Pakistan - which will have its bank accounts and assets frozen - faces up to 10 years in prison.
The ban came 24 hours after Pakistan rejected a Taliban cease-fire offer in Bajur tribal region, a rumored hiding place for Osama bin Laden, where an army offensive has reportedly killed hundreds in recent weeks.
"This organization is a terrorist organization and created mayhem against public life," Malik said.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of militants along the rugged Afghan border set up last year, has claimed responsibility for a wave of suicide bombings in the last half year that have killed hundreds.
Its leadership is formally separate from the Taliban movement which was swept from power in Afghanistan in 2001.
However, some of its members are believed to help recruit, arm and train volunteers for the Taliban-led insurgency against government and NATO troops on the Afghan side of the frontier.
Musharraf quit Monday, nine years after he seized power in a military coup, to avoid impeachment charges.
With their common foe gone, the coalition that drove him from office frayed over unkept promises to restore the judges and Zardari's decision to seek the presidency.
Concern that the turmoil was distracting the government from tackling urgent economic and security issues was born out Thursday when twin Taliban suicide bombers killed 67 people at an arms factory near the capital.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced Monday that the group responsible for the attack, the Tehrik-e-Taliban, was banned.
He said the militants had "created mayhem" in the nuclear-armed nation.
Anyone caught aiding the Taliban in Pakistan - which will have its bank accounts and assets frozen - faces up to 10 years in prison.
The ban came 24 hours after Pakistan rejected a Taliban cease-fire offer in Bajur tribal region, a rumored hiding place for Osama bin Laden, where an army offensive has reportedly killed hundreds in recent weeks.
"This organization is a terrorist organization and created mayhem against public life," Malik said.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of militants along the rugged Afghan border set up last year, has claimed responsibility for a wave of suicide bombings in the last half year that have killed hundreds.
Its leadership is formally separate from the Taliban movement which was swept from power in Afghanistan in 2001.
However, some of its members are believed to help recruit, arm and train volunteers for the Taliban-led insurgency against government and NATO troops on the Afghan side of the frontier.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
M. Ali Kemal
posted 8/26/08 @ 6:37 PM MST
This is the same as this
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1835814,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics
which came first Time or Collegian
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