US Congress concerned over state of affairs in Pakistan

Islamabad, Jun 6 (UNI) The US Congress has written to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the deteriorating state of affairs in Pakistan as a result of the dismissal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Joseph Biden Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Lantos, Chair House Foreign Relations Committee, and Irena Ros-Lehtinen, the Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, in their urgent letter to Rice expressed what they say is the spiral of civil unrest and harshly suppressed protest in Pakistan with increasing concern.

''We ask that you publicly call for an immediate end to the violence, and urge the government of Pakistan to commit to holding free and fair elections by the year's end,'' The News said quoting excerpts from the letter.

They told Rice that in some cases the media have likewise been subjected to violent intimidation, in an apparent attempt to prevent coverage of the pro-democracy protests.

The lawmakers told Rice that President Musharraf's attempt to dismiss the Chief Justice has sparked protests of people in tens of thousands, spearheaded by bar associations and supported by moderate political parties and civil society organisations.

''The government's response has been to arrest, detain and beat citizens, many of them lawyers demonstrating peacefully.'' The US lawmakers said, ''the violence in Karachi that left at least 39 dead and over 150 wounded on May 12 appears to show disturbing signs of collusion between the Mutahida Qaumi Movement and government forces.'' ''The paramilitary Rangers and police, whether by inaction or acting on specific orders, clearly failed to protect the lives of citizens under attack by armed gangs.'' The letter says that there have been disturbing reports of security forces closing off streets while gunmen targeted Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) activists.

There have also been disturbing ethnic overtones to some of the violence, as the Punjabis, the Pakhtuns and the Sindhis were reportedly attacked by the Muhajir-based MQM. There are numerous reports of official and unofficial acts of intimidation against members of the legal community.

''It would appear that underlying these protests is a widespread impression that President Musharraf may not live up to his promise to hold free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections this year.'' ''It is our impression that many Pakistan citizens view the President's campaign against the nation's Chief Justice as an attempt to cow the judicial system into sanctioning electoral rigging and extra-constitutional delay of a return to al fully civilian government,'' says the letter.

UNI