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Links 10/06: Musharraf victory; Basque separtists speak up; Fiji lifts emergency rule; Shia agreement in Iraq |
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Pakistan:Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf received all but five votes cast by two houses of parliament in today’s presidential elections, though the legality of his candidacy remains in question. Here’s what some local and international news media are reporting:
- From the BBC: Musharraf wins presidential vote:
“Gen Pervez Musharraf has easily won a vote to be re-elected Pakistan’s president, even though it is unclear if his candidacy was legal.” - From Pakistan’s Dawn: Musharraf sweeps vote, victory hangs on court:
“Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf swept most votes (384 out of 702) in a presidential election Saturday but he has to wait for the Supreme Court to confirm the legality of his bid before being declared the winner.” - From Pakistan’s Nation: “Another term?”:
“Although President Musharraf sailed right through the presidential election on Saturday, yet his landmark victory is still incomplete as the opposition has boycotted the poll, and the Supreme Court is yet to decide his eligibility to stand in the election in uniform.” - And from India’s Hindustan Times: Musharraf sweeps vote, victory hangs on court:
“Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf swept the most votes in a presidential election on Saturday but he has to wait for the Supreme Court to confirm the legality of his bid before he can be declared winner.”
Elsewhere in the World:
Basque Separatists in Spain have called the arrest of 23 separatist leaders a “declaration of war” by the government of Spain.
I think most of us have this vision of the India we would like to see, the India that can be. The problem is that we are almost afraid to visualise it because it seems too utopian, the impossible dream.
Indian hotelier PRS Oberoi offers remarks on his five star dream for India in the days before an Indian leadership summit hosted/sponstored by the Hindustan Times.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will not call for a general election this autumn, citing a desire to show the country his “vision for change” and to develop his policies further.
The government of Fiji have lifted the state of emergency implemented after the military coup in December 2006.
Rallies were held around the world today, protesting the “violent repression” of pro-democracy protests in Myanmar (Burma) and urging the military junta to settle the disputes peacefully.
Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, two of the most influential Shia leaders in Iraq signed an agreement today following years of intense rivalry. According to one of Sadr’s aides, the agreement “is essentially a commitment of honour. The most important aspect is that it forbids both sides to engage in bloodletting against each other and against Iraqis in general”.
As always, comments are welcomed below…
Interesting development within Iraqi Shia factions. I wonder what this really means…an increase on Shia/Shiite violence? Or some kind of move towards peace?