The violence in Pakistan has shown no sign of relenting these past few days with Monday's attack on an election candidate. Nisar Ali was campaigning near the Afghan border when a suicide bomber detonated near his covoy, killing seven of his supporters and injuring Ali. He was originally reported to have been killed, but his party refuted the claims and he is now said to be recovering in a local hospital, according to the AP. This comes after an even more horrific terror attack on Saturday in the northwestern town of Charsadda, where another bomber attacked a political rally for the secular Awami National Party, killing dozens of supporters as they gathered inside of a hall.
Meanwhile, analysts are predicting that Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples' Party could get the sympathy vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. A landslide victory by the opposition could put President Pervez Musharraf in danger of being removed from office. However, such a move would more than likely further destabilize the country and give the terrorists who are determined to bring down the Musharraf government exactly what they want.
Other developments:
While there's has been a string of negative events happening, there is also some good news to report. A top Taliban commander, Mansoor Dadullah, was wounded and captured by Pakistani forces, scoring a major symbolic victory for the region and its Western Allies. Last year, Dadullah's brother was killed in a battle with NATO forces in Southern Afghanistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment