[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 170 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H12457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF OF PAKISTAN

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, this weekend a 
devastating blow was struck against the efforts to try to grow and make 
sustainable democracy in Pakistan when President Musharraf of Pakistan 
announced that he would have an emergency order which has essentially 
become martial law against all those in the country who disagreed with 
him; against all of those on the supreme court, all of those in the 
legal community, all of those in general society who disagree with him 
are now subject to arrest, are subject to beatings, are subject to 
imprisonment. That is wrong, and this country cannot look the other 
way.
  For too long this administration and this Congress have looked the 
other way as President Musharraf has worked to limit and now crush 
democracy in Pakistan. Too many excuses have been offered to allow him 
to continue this trend against free and open elections, against a 
growing democracy, against a growing independent press and TV stations 
because we said he is helping us in Pakistan against the terrorists, 
the Taliban, in Afghanistan.
  Of course, what we know is that he has played us over these many 
years as he has received billions of dollars in aid. He has continued 
to play us to suggest that he is really concentrating on the effort to 
rid both Afghanistan and Pakistan of terrorists, but in fact that is 
not what has been taking place. In fact, he has cut agreements, he has 
arranged for safe haven, for safe travel for the Taliban as they have 
moved back and forth against our troops and against people in 
Afghanistan who are trying to establish a democracy there.
  Some months ago when I visited Afghanistan, we asked the commander of 
our troops there what was the biggest threat to our troops in 
Afghanistan, and he said the border with Pakistan. And that remains 
true today as the Taliban move back and forth, as recruits from al 
Qaeda move back and forth, and at a time when President Musharraf 
simply gives voice to the idea that he is going to stop this from 
happening, that he is going to create an environment where that will 
not be allowed to continue. That simply has not happened, because 
President Musharraf has been more interested in securing his reelection 
as the leader of Pakistan than he has been in getting rid of the 
extremists and the terrorists. In fact, he has allowed the extremists 
to grow even in Islamabad, where their presence wasn't known only a few 
years ago.
  We must take a stand against these actions. We must speak out. The 
administration has spoken out now, but already questions are being 
raised as to whether or not we will condition aid, whether or not we 
will forcefully show Musharraf that we cannot have him crush democracy 
in Pakistan. Pakistan needs more democracy, not less. It needs 
democracy to strengthen that country so that it can reject ex-
tremism and terrorists. It needs free elections so that the people will 
believe that they are represented, not by the continuing building of a 
dictatorship by President Musharraf who controls the military, who 
controls the intelligence, and now is using them against the very 
people that he is supposed to represent, and that is the people of 
Pakistan. We cannot stand by while he takes this extraordinary effort 
to crush democracy, to potentially postpone the elections, to seize the 
independent media, and to throw hundreds and hundreds so far of his 
citizens into jail because they simply seek to oppose him and seek a 
brighter future, a more democratic future for the country of Pakistan.
  The time has come for this country to take a very strong stand 
against the corruption of this government and the growing dictatorship 
presented by the rule of President Musharraf.

                          ____________________