Most Dangerous Trouble Spot In The World Update

We're starting to see the first fallout of Perves Musharraf's "second coup" in Pakistan - they're rounding up the dissidents.

Police and soldiers emboldened by state of emergency powers swept up hundreds of activists and opposition members on Sunday, dragged away protesters shouting "Shame on you!", 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 — effectively linking two of the greatest concerns of Pakistan's biggest international donors: the United States and Britain.

Increasingly concerned about the unfolding crisis, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington was reviewing billions of dollars in aid to its close terrorism-fighting ally. Britain is also examining its assistance.

Yeah, they will be reviewed, before being processed and airmailed directly to the dictator's palace.

Benazir Bhutto, the woman around whom pro-democracy reformers have rallied, penned a statement to CNN.

I have long claimed that the rise of extremism and militancy in Pakistan could not happen without support from elements within the current administration. My return to my country poses a threat to the forces of extremism that have thrived under a dictatorship. They want to stop the restoration of democracy at any price. They have exploited a poor, desperate, and powerless people and allowed extremists the right environment in which to flourish [...]

On my return to Pakistan last month, throngs of people turned out to welcome me back home. The demand to ban grassroots political activity is a suspicious prelude to what could be an overt attempt to rig the upcoming elections. All people who believe in the process of democracy should reject this attempt to undermine public participation in the campaign and set the table for what I believe would simply be a fraudulent election.

Bhutto then asks a series of questions about the assassination attempt on her last month which killed 158. While not outright suggesting that the government rigged the bomb, she does openly wonder why they seem reluctant to solve the crime. I would say that the bombing was a powerful catalyst to enacting the emergency declaration, so there was no reason to investigate it.

Sometimes you don't know how to end a blog post except with a sigh.