Impeachment Threat Looms for Musharraf

Staff / Truthdig Aug 8, 2008 For several months, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's political fate has hung in the balance, as last year's state-of-emergency ordeal made all too clear. Now, the situation in Pakistan is becoming critical, with Musharraf's opponents calling for his impeachment. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pakistan Blast Seen as Payback for Red Mosque Raid

Staff / Truthdig Jul 8, 2008 Sunday's explosion near Islamabad's Melody Market is believed to be retaliation for last summer's official crackdown on the nearby Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) mosque and seminary, according to Pakistan's Daily Times. Nineteen people, most of them policemen, were killed in the blast. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bombings Jolt South Asia

Staff / Truthdig Jul 7, 2008 A suicide bombing apparently tied to the one-year anniversary of the Red Mosque raid killed at least 15 in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Sunday night. The next morning, a bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 41 -- including India's ranking defense attaché -- and injuring more than 140 others. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A.Q. Khan Takes Back Nuclear Confession

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2008 Did he or didn't he? Four years ago, A.Q. Khan, often referred to as the "Father of the Pakistani Bomb," confessed that he had passed nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya. Now, as he awaits his possible release from house arrest, Khan says he made a false confession. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Musharraf Foe Calls on Pakistan to ‘Rise Up’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 6, 2007 Pakistan's ousted chief justice has called on the masses to "rise up and restore the constitution," adding, "This is a time for sacrifices." Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was fired and placed under house arrest when he refused to sign off on President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency, made the address by telephone. Mysteriously (or not), mobile phone service in Islamabad suffered a breakdown as Chaudhry was making his remarks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Musharraf Wheels and Deals as Election Looms in Pakistan

Staff / Truthdig Oct 5, 2007 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is busily offering olive branches, and even pledging to resign his military post in the near future, during the final hours before Saturday's presidential election. It looks like his strategy may work, as the election is expected to result in victory for Musharraf, even as his legitimacy as a candidate is being contested and reviewed by the nation's top court. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Red Mosque Siege Triggers Turbulence

Staff / Truthdig Jul 15, 2007 Last week's deadly battles at Islamabad's Red Mosque have sparked outbreaks of violence in Pakistan this weekend, which could spell trouble for President Pervez Musharraf's political future. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Showdown at Pakistan’s Red Mosque

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2007 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has intervened to defuse the explosive standoff at Islamabad's Red Mosque, which has resulted in at least 19 deaths over the last three days. The BBC reports that the mosque's religious leader, Maulana Abdul Aziz, was captured Wednesday after he tried to leave the scene shrouded in a burka. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Deadly Shootout at Islamabad’s ‘Red Mosque’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 3, 2007 A clash between Pakistani police and students associated with the Lal Masjid ("Red Mosque") in Islamabad resulted in nine deaths Tuesday, and 140 were reported wounded, according to the BBC. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

When Hugging Is a Crime

Staff / Truthdig May 22, 2007 Nilofar Bakhtiar, Pakistan's federal minister for tourism, is in hot water with clerics in her home country for hugging a skydiving instructor who guided her through a tandem parachute jump for charity last month. Now, after striking such an "obscene" pose, she's had to resign from Pakistan's Cabinet. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Karachi Shootout Kills 34

Staff / Truthdig May 13, 2007 Two politically opposed groups in Karachi, Pakistan, opened fire on each other Saturday as a suspended member of President Pervez Musharraf's administration, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was arriving in Karachi for a rally. The BBC reported that 34 were killed in the gunfire and 120 injured, and that Chaudhry was forced to return to Islamabad. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )