[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 912 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 912

Condemning the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir 
 Bhutto and reaffirming the commitment of the United States to assist 
the people of Pakistan in combating terrorist activity and promoting a 
                     free and democratic Pakistan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 15, 2008

Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Pence, Mr. Lantos, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. 
 Berman, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Kennedy, 
 Mr. Honda, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Poe, Mr. Waxman, 
 Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Ellison, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, 
  Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Dreier, Mrs. Miller of Michigan, and Mr. 
Pascrell) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir 
 Bhutto and reaffirming the commitment of the United States to assist 
the people of Pakistan in combating terrorist activity and promoting a 
                     free and democratic Pakistan.

Whereas on December 27, 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was 
        assassinated while departing a peaceful election rally;
Whereas the attack on Ms. Bhutto also killed some 20 other innocent bystanders 
        and fellow Muslims;
Whereas Ms. Bhutto had returned to Pakistan in October 2007 after 8 years of 
        self-imposed exile for the stated purpose of bringing democracy and the 
        voice of moderation back to Pakistan;
Whereas Pakistan has struggled historically in its path toward a secure and 
        stable democracy, having been ruled by unelected leaders for 34 out of 
        60 years of Pakistan's history;
Whereas Pakistan has been plagued by over 40 suicide attacks, claiming over 700 
        lives in 2007;
Whereas the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan are being used by al 
        Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist and extremist elements to 
        regroup, retrain, and recruit for future attacks in Afghanistan and 
        Pakistan;
Whereas Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation, adding another level of complexity 
        to Pakistan's deteriorating security situation and raising the specter 
        of nuclear arms falling into the hands of extremists in the future;
Whereas the international community has a vital interest in supporting a free, 
        stable, and secure Pakistan so as to stem the rise of extremism in the 
        region, prevent global acts of terrorism originating in Pakistan, and 
        support the movement toward stable political institutions and democratic 
        values and the rule of law;
Whereas in the past 5 years, the United States has provided over $5,000,000,000 
        in assistance to Pakistan and an additional $5,000,000,000 to reimburse 
        Pakistan for its expenses incurred in combating terrorism;
Whereas a significant portion of United States assistance and reimbursements 
        have gone to support Pakistani military operations in the Pakistan-
        Afghanistan border region, counterterrorism operations in the Federally 
        Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan and to increase Pakistan's 
        counterterrorism and military capability;
Whereas there is an acute need for additional assistance from the United States 
        and other countries to support and promote Pakistan's economic, social, 
        and political development; and
Whereas the tragic death of Ms. Bhutto creates even greater uncertainty in an 
        unstable region: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns in the strongest terms the assassination of 
        former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and expresses 
        its condolences to her family and the families of all those who 
        were killed or injured in the attack of December 27, 2007;
            (2) supports efforts by Pakistan to expeditiously bring to 
        justice those who have perpetrated this cruel and cowardly 
        attack;
            (3) welcomes the provision of assistance by the Government 
        of the United Kingdom of expertise to the Government of 
        Pakistan in the conduct of the investigation of the attack;
            (4) commends the Government of Pakistan for accepting such 
        assistance and urges that government to allow experts from the 
        United Kingdom to participate in such investigation in the 
        fullest possible manner;
            (5) urges the people and Government of Pakistan to be 
        relentless in its pursuit of a democratically-elected 
        government, including the holding of free and fair elections at 
        the earliest possible opportunity;
            (6) expresses its support for the freedom of the media, the 
        ability of political parties to express their views without 
        restriction, and the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan; 
        and
            (7) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to assist 
        the people of Pakistan in combating terrorist activity and 
        promoting a free and democratic Pakistan.
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