IAC Statement on the crisis in Pakistan

Statement from the International Action Center, Nov. 9, 2007

The International Action Center condemns the ongoing U.S. support for the brutal military dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.

Musharraf, who first seized power in a 1999 coup, has declared martial law in a desperate attempt to bolster his faltering dictatorship. Opposition leaders have been arrested. Peaceful political meetings have been raided. All international and private news channels have been shut down, with only the state-owned stations allowed to remain on the air.

Musharraf’s attempt to silence dissent has failed. Every day, more and more of the people of Pakistan are taking to the streets, despite the ominous presence and brutality of the U.S.-armed troops.

Meanwhile, Washington is desperately exploring its options to maintain control over the government of Pakistan. For eight years, the U.S. government has depended on Musharraf as an ally in Washington’s crusade to dominate the region and crush national liberation movements.

But now, with the resistance in Iraq continuing and with the refusal of Iran to bow to the demands of Washington, popular movements opposing the U.S. agenda have gained new confidence. Musharraf now faces the real possibility of being overthrown by forces who oppose his collaborationist policies.

Some in the Bush Administration may be looking to Benazir Bhutto as a solution to their problem. Before the declaration of martial law, the U.S. attempted to force Musharraf to accept a power-sharing deal with Benazir Bhutto, a billionaire former prime minister who was ousted for corruption. This deal was engineered, in part, by National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and one of the people responsible for the death squad campaigns against the people of El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980’s.

The International Action Center calls for the immediate end of all U.S. support for the brutal Musharraf dictatorship. We call for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the region, including neighboring Afghanistan.

We join with working people all over the world in expressing our solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the U.S.-imposed dictatorship.

Stop U.S. Aid to Musharraf!

Hands Off Pakistan!

U.S. Out of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq!