Pakistan's New Generation Of Leaders Issue A Warning To The Government On Giving Concessions To The Taliban

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Photo from Pakistan Today

No More Excuses For Taliban Violence, Bhutto Heir Tells Pakistan's Leaders -- The Guardian

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 25, says prime minister and Imran Khan letting down nation by not backing firm military action

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the youthful heir apparent to one of south Asia's most famous dynasties, has launched a scathing attack on his political opponents who he said must stop "making excuses" for Taliban violence.

The 25-year-old son of the assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto said Nawaz Sharif, the country's current leader, and the opposition politician Imran Khan, were "letting down the people" by not backing firm military action against the Taliban.

"Perhaps they are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome," Bhutto Zardari said, referring to cases of hostages who sympathise with or even assist their captors. "There is no reason why the national leaders, the so-called leaders, should not speak out against people who are murdering our citizens, murdering our armed forces and claiming responsibility."

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Update: No more excuses for Taliban violence, Bilawal tells Nawaz, Imran -- Pakistan Today

My Comment: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is giving voice to the millions of Pakistanis who have suffered from Taliban attacks and atrocities. He has also made himself a target for the Taliban and for those who support them.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Declares Victory In Pakistan's General Elections

Photo: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (Front) waves to supporters as he arrives to cast his vote in eastern Pakistan's Lahore, May 11, 2013. (Xinhua/Jamil Ahmed)

Pakistan Backs Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif As Imran Khan Falls Short -- The Guardian

22 killed as violence, intimidaton and vote rigging mar poll many had feared would never be held.

Fourteen years after he was overthrown and exiled by a military dictator, the former Pakistani prime minister known to his supporters as "the Lion" claimed victory on Saturday night in one of most dramatic general elections in the country's history.

Nawaz Sharif, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party (PML-N), was set to become the next prime minister of the troubled country as it grapples with crises on multiple fronts after it became clear he had secured a commanding lead despite the challenge from Imran Khan, the former cricketer who waged a groundbreaking campaign credited with galvanising an army of youthful new voters.

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More News On Pakistan's Elections

Updates on Pakistan’s Election -- New York Times
Pakistan votes in landmark election - Live from the BBC. -- BBC
Pakistan Decides 2013: Live Updates -- International News
Pak polls live: Initial trends show Nawaz Sharif leading in Sargodha -- IBN Live
Election Day bombings sweep Pakistan: Over 20 killed, almost 200 injured (LIVE UPDATES) -- RT
Live updates: Pakistan national assembly election results 2013 -- Gizmi Crave

Nawaz Sharif declares victory in Pakistan election -- Khaleej Times/AFP
Former PM Declares Victory in Pakistan -- Wall Street Journal
Sharif stages comeback in landmark Pakistan election -- Reuters
Sharif declares victory in Pakistan -- SKY News
Sharif Claims Win in Pakistan Election as Vote Counting Underway -- Bloomberg Businessweek
'Lion of Pakistan' roars back to power in election overshadowed by violence -- The Guardian
Sharif poised to form next Pakistan govt -- The Australian
Nawaz Sharif declares victory after Pak votes in historic election -- Indian Express
Imran Khan’s party concedes defeat -- The Hindu
Pakistan's Sharif Declares Victory -- Voice of America

My Comment: So the radical Islamist who introduced blasphemy laws that targeted Christians and other minorities as well as being accused of corruption on a massive scale (which is why the military overthrew him 14 years ago) comes back to power in today's Pakistan election. He has said that he has changed .... but I sincerely doubt it.

Pakistan's General Election -- Live Updates

Historic Election Polls Close in Most of Pakistan -- Voice of America

Polls have closed in most areas in Pakistan, in historic elections that will bring about a transition from one civilian administration that finished a full term in office to another civilian administration.

Voters were supposed to stop casting ballots for lawmakers in the National Assembly at 1200 GMT, but officials extended the voting period by one hour Saturday because many people were still waiting to vote. A VOA reporter on the scene says some Pakistanis are still casting ballots in a few areas where voting was extended by three hours due to extremely high turnout.

Scattered incidents of violence left at least 17 people dead on Saturday, and security was high most of the day.

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More News On Pakistan's General Elections

Pakistan votes in landmark election - Live from the BBC. -- BBC
Pakistan Decides 2013: Live Updates -- International News
Pak polls live: Initial trends show Nawaz Sharif leading in Sargodha -- IBN Live
Election Day bombings sweep Pakistan: Over 20 killed, almost 200 injured (LIVE UPDATES) -- RT
Live updates: Pakistan national assembly election results 2013 -- Gizmi Crave

Pakistanis Vote as Violence Mars End of Vibrant Campaign -- New York Times
Landmark Pakistan election marred by Karachi unrest -- BBC
Pakistan Extends Voting in Landmark Election Amid Long Queues -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Pakistani elections hit by bomb attack -- The Guardian
Violence casts shadow over Pakistan's milestone election -- Reuters
High turnout despite violence, as Pakistanis vote in landmark election -- CNN
Militants continue attacks as millions turn out for Pakistan’s historic vote -- Washington Post
Pakistanis go to polls as 22 killed in attacks -- AP

Coup Rumors In Pakistan As Political Crisis Continues

Give Me Your Backing: 'Panicky' Pakistan Prime Minister Pleads For British Support Over Fears Of A Military Coup -- Daily Mail

* He makes call as military and the civilian government are at loggerheads
* Supreme Court investigates memo sent to Washington also pleading for intervention following the aftermath of the bin Laden raid
* Court threatens to dismiss Prime Minister and President over failure to act on corruption inquiry
* Crucial Supreme Court sitting on Monday may spark a constitutional showdown
* Foreign Secretary William Hague calls for calm during 'very tense situation'

Pakistan's prime minister has called Britain's most senior diplomat in the country to warn that the Pakistan Army may be on the brink of staging a military coup.

Officials for both Britain and Islamabad confirmed that Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani placed a 'panicky' call to High Commissioner Adam Thomson expressing his fears for the stability of the nuclear-armed country.

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More News On Pakistan's Political Crisis

UK, Pakistan deny report that Gilani fears coup -- CNN
Pakistan, UK deny call expressing coup fears -- FOX News/AP
British official denies report Pakistan PM 'made panicky call to UK diplomat' about army coup -- The Telegraph

Pakistan: President Zardari ally calls for confidence vote -- The Telegraph
Pakistan's PM appeals for support in standoff -- Yahoo News/AP
Pakistan PM Looks to Bolster Democracy Amid Tensions With the Military -- Voice of America
Embattled Pakistan President Lobbies for Support -- New York Times/Reuters
Pakistan's prime minister asks parliament to choose between democracy or dictatorship -- The Telegraph
Pakistan’s Gilani: Democracy or dictatorship? -- Washington Post
Zardari returns to Pakistan, faces government-military conflict -- Washington Post
Civilians have whip-hand in showdown with Pakistan military -- Reuters
Pentagon: No assurances against Pakistan coup -- AP
Pakistan political crisis: Key players -- BBC

Pakistan's Political Crisis Between The Government And The Military Continues

Pakistani President Travels Abroad Amid Civil-Military Rift -- Washington Post

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An open conflict between Pakistan’s civilian government and armed forces simmered Thursday as the nation’s top generals convened an emergency meeting and besieged President Asif Ali Zardari made a sudden trip abroad.

Zardari, the main target of what his ruling party depicts as a pressure campaign by the military and Supreme Court, flew Thursday afternoon to Dubai to attend a wedding and see a doctor, his office said. Zardari underwent medical treatment in Dubai last month, triggering rumors that he was being forced out by the military over a scandal, dubbed “Memogate,” that has roiled the nation.

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More News On Pakistan's Political Crisis

Pakistan president goes to Dubai as split with military widens -- Reuters
Pakistan president goes to Dubai amid new crisis -- Yahoo News/AFP
Pakistan’s president travels to Dubai amid tensions between government and army -- Washington Post/AP
Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari heads to Dubai amid deepening political crisis -- The Telegraph
Pakistan’s President Travels to Dubai Amid Crisis -- Voice of America

Coup fears resurface in Pakistan as Gilani-Kayani spat turns ugly -- Times of India
Rift stirs fears of military coup in Pakistan: Premier fires defense chief -- Washington Times
President's exit fuels Pakistan coup fears -- Sydney Morning Herald
Pentagon: No Assurances Against Pakistan Coup -- FOX News/AP
Why a Coup Is Unlikely in Pakistan -- Tom Wright, Wall Street Journal
Pakistan: a coup by other means -- The Guardian editorial
Pakistan’s Besieged Government -- New York Times editorial
Q&A: Renewed instability in Pakistan -- BBC

Showdown Between The Pakistan Government And Generals In The Pakistan Military Looming

Tensions Rise Between Pakistan's Civilian Leaders And Its Military -- McClatchy News

SLAMABAD, Pakistan — A destabilizing confrontation between Pakistan's fledgling democratic government and its powerful military is evolving into a debate over the country's controversial nuclear weapons program. Opposition politicians characterized Asif Zardari, the president, on Sunday as bowing to U.S. policy to rollback Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. They dredged up his offer in November 2009 to abandon Pakistan's "first strike" nuclear weapons posture against India in return for a comprehensive peace agreement.

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My Comment: This conflict is remarkable .... the Pakistani military leadership and the ISI are clearly acting independently from civilian authority. In any other democratic country, these generals would be immediately sacked .... but in this case we have the Pakistan PM going out of his way to deny rumors that such a course of action is actually being planned.

Is Imran Khan A New "Political Force For Change" In Pakistan?

Former Pakistani Cricketer Bowls Over Political Crowd In Karachi -- L.A. Times

REPORTING FROM ISLAMABAD -- A rally in Karachi organized by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan drew a massive crowd of supporters Sunday, bolstering his image as a potent force in Pakistan’s turbulent political landscape.

Pakistani media estimated that as many as 100,000 supporters crammed into a field next to the iconic white marble mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, on the commemoration of Jinnah’s birthday. Looking out on a sea of red and green flags belonging to Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Khan told backers that, if his party came to power, he would ensure that the rule of law was applied evenly and would work to eradicate the taint of corruption found at virtually every layer of Pakistani society.

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More News On Imran Khan

Opposition Pakistani Politician Draws Huge Karachi Crowd -- Voice of America
'Rising star' of Pakistani politics: Charismatic Khan wows 100,000 at rally -- MSNBC
Imran Khan's anti-corruption bid draws 100,000 Pakistanis -- Sydney Morning Herald
Pakistan Imran Khan rally draws tens of thousands -- BBC
Pakistani politician Khan gains momentum -- CNN
Pakistan Cricket Star Imran Khan’s Rally Shows His Growing Political Power -- Bloomberg
Massive Khan rally defies Pakistan ruling party -- Reuters
Khan promises 'good tsunami' to end Pakistan graft -- AFP

My Comment: He has to be very careful. The last person who promised changed was this up and rising political star.