rediff.com News
      HOME | US EDITION | REPORT
March 25, 2002
1600 IST

 US city pages

  - Atlanta
  - Boston
  - Chicago
  - DC Area
  - Houston
  - Jersey Area
  - Los Angeles
  - New York
  - SF Bay Area


 US yellow pages

 Archives

 - Earlier editions 

 Channels

 - Astrology 
 - Cricket
 - Money
 - Movies
 - Women 
 - India News
 - US News


 India Abroad
Weekly Newspaper

  In-depth news

  Community Focus

  16 Page Magazine
For 4 free issues
Click here!
 Search the Internet
         Tips
E-Mail this report to a friend
Print this page Best Printed on  HP Laserjets

US asked to discourage Musharraf's plan to legitimise his rule

Urging the United States to discourage President Pervez Musharraf's plan to legitimise his military rule by a referendum, a leading American newspaper on Sunday said the Pakistani leader needs to hold a free and fair election and step up efforts to dissociate the Inter Services intelligence (ISI) from Kashmiri militants.

"General Musharraf's plan to try legitimise his military rule with a referendum this year is unacceptable and should be discouraged by Washington. He needs to hold a free and fair election," the New York Times said in an editorial.

General Musharraf must 'accelerate his efforts to purge the ISI of links with militant groups operating in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and within Pakistan'.

Acting against these groups, the paper said, is likely to generate opposition to Musharraf within the army 'and, some say, could endanger his life'.

"He has no choice but to change the direction of his troubled nation and its military establishment. Dissident elements of the ISI have to be rooted out and the agency has to end its support of Islamic insurgents in Kashmir and cease intimidating Pakistani civilian politicians," it added.

However, it noted with appreciation that Musharraf has arrested 2,000 militants and Pakistani and US law enforcement officials 'appear' to be cooperating in probing the abduction and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

US President George W Bush, the paper said, has bolstered General Musharraf's regime by relieving Pakistan of some debts and opening American markets for Pakistani textile exports.

An urgent order of business is to equip Pakistan's law enforcement agencies with computers and other tools to keep track of extremists, it added.

PTI

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report

ADVERTISEMENT      
NEWS | MONEY | SPORTS | MOVIES | CHAT | CRICKET | SEARCH
ASTROLOGY | CONTESTS | E-CARDS | NEWSLINKS | ROMANCE | WOMEN
SHOPPING | BOOKS | MUSIC | PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL| MESSENGER | FEEDBACK