Think about it. They may not report the violence, but everyday their is an article about Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, etc. Compare that to the coverage of Africa, Asia, or any Central or South American nations (see When Was the Last Time You Heard About posts, readers).
I personally think the U.S. is behind all destabilization efforts in order to get boots on the ground. They will use anyone they have to, and turn on an ally in a minute.
"Hundreds held in jittery Pakistan; Assembly ban follows Sharif call to revolt" by Pamela Constable, Washington Post | March 12, 2009
ISLAMABAD - Political turmoil deepened yesterday and Pakistanis braced for violence as opponents of President Asif Ali Zardari prepared to lead a massive protest march toward the capital this week, while police arrested hundreds of opposition activists and the government banned public assemblies in major cities.
How come this protest gets coverage when so many others are ignored, MSM?
Many Pakistanis said they feared the conflict could bring the year-old civilian government to the brink of collapse, and some said it could revive the specter of army intervention in the nuclear-armed nation of 160 million, which recently emerged from military rule and faces a growing threat from violent Islamic extremists.
Yup, make sure you get the nukes/Islamic terrorists angle out there, prop papers!
The protest march, long planned by Pakistani lawyers as a peaceful action to demand the reinstatement of the deposed Supreme Court chief justice, has been overtaken by a personal and partisan brawl between Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, and top leaders of the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
All this week, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been exhorting supporters at large rallies across the country to take to the streets and carry out a "revolution" against Zardari, whom he has accused of being more dictatorial than Pakistan's previous military ruler, retired army General Pervez Musharraf.
"We can change history in seven days," Sharif, who heads the major Muslim League faction, told a cheering crowd in Abbotabad, in northwestern Pakistan. "The future of Pakistan is bleak, and the constitution is being violated. The whole country is in the process of disintegration."
Sounds like home!
In response, officials have launched a nationwide crackdown aimed at preventing marchers from reaching the capital. Television footage yesterday showed activists being dragged into police vans, and dozens of senior figures in the Muslim League and legal community were placed under house arrest. Others fled their homes and hid from the authorities.
Government officials said they had no choice but to stop the march, blaming Sharif for inciting the public to violent rebellion and warning that terrorists might infiltrate the demonstrations. They said they were still open to reconciliation.
I expect to see a couple of "suicide" bombs go off, don't you? And CUI BONO?
"No democratic government likes to impose restrictions, but we were pushed to the wall. This was a last resort," Information Minister Sherry Rehman told journalists here yesterday. "We are trying to resolve things through dialogue, but open rebellion is not acceptable. We cannot allow the loss of life and property."
In a last-ditch effort to avert a violent confrontation, various Pakistani political figures have held a flurry of meetings and proposed compromises to resolve the stalemate. Several asked Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to intervene, but with Zardari out of the country for a meeting in Iran, no immediate solution seemed likely....
Wow, the MSM sure kept THAT TIDBIT QUIET! What's he doing in IRAN?
--more--"
Just wondering why the Globe is ignoring this item:
Pakistan Taliban say 24 dead in US missile strikes
Instead we get this:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Police overwhelmed antigovernment protesters yesterday in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, arresting opposition leaders and preventing several hundred lawyers and activists from leaving for a planned demonstration in Islamabad, the capital.
Over 24 hours, the government of President Asif Ali Zardari detained hundreds of people critical of its policies, asserting that public gatherings could be a target for terrorists or otherwise endanger property and lives. Authorities also banned public assembly in two key provinces and blocked major roads leading into Islamabad with barriers and paramilitary vehicles.
"The government has resorted to raiding the houses of the leaders of political parties," said Farooq Tariq, an official with the Pakistan Labor Party. "I've been underground for the last three days."
****************
The growing political instability is raising concern that armed forces could intervene, which has happened repeatedly in this nuclear-armed nation prone to military coups.... Political analysts said it remained to be seen whether the government's heavy-handed tactics would prove effective. Some said the moves have succeeded in blunting public appetite for protest, at least in the short term.
Others said it would have been better, particularly for a democratically elected government, to let the demonstrations go forward as long as they remained nonviolent....
And if they turn violent, we know which forces to blame, don't we, CUI BONO?
In Karachi yesterday morning, paramilitary forces and police surrounded court buildings in which lawyers had assembled, preventing many cars and buses from getting close. Several hundred black-suited lawyers broke out of the cordon, however, and left the building on foot, joining political activists carrying party flags and chanting antigovernment slogans.
When the group tried to enter a highway leaving the city, police blocked them. About 200 protesters got as far as a toll plaza but were overwhelmed by more than twice as many police officers....
Elsewhere, police cordoned off routes to government buildings in the eastern city of Lahore, in Punjab Province. But lawyers and an estimated 2,000 protesters were able to gather in a square for several hours near the Punjab assembly, where they chanted slogans and waved black protest flags. Other demonstrations were seen in the cities of Quetta, Peshawar, and Multan.
Need I even type it, readers?
The fact that the MSM is covering the protests leads me to believe they are in favor of these particular protests, otherwise they would either ignore or dis them!
