[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H13201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                PAKISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, all eyes are watching the 
nation of Pakistan. And I rise today to acknowledge that the people of 
Pakistan are friends of the United States.
  Over the last decade or so, they have been moving toward democracy, a 
growing middle class, a desire for education for the boys and girls of 
Pakistan, and a real commitment to fighting the Taliban and terrorists 
in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. President Musharraf has shown 
leadership and commitment on these issues.
  But today we see a raging Pakistan, a collapse of democracy, the 
calling of emergency rule, and the complete lacking of sensitivity to 
the needs of the Pakistan people. So today I am calling on President 
Musharraf to lift the emergency rule, to restore constitutional order, 
and to put Pakistan back on track. There is a definitive need for free 
and honest elections, and he should make an announcement that the 
elections should be called as of November 15 and that they should be 
held on January 16, 2008.
  Why return Pakistan back to a period when democracy did not reign? It 
is a Muslim country. It is a democratic country. And it has flourished 
under the concept of democracy.
  Dissidents should be allowed to dissent. Political prisoners and the 
lawyers of Pakistan should be released. There should be an independent 
judiciary. And the United States should show its leadership by 
immediately dispatching a diplomatic team from the Defense Department 
and State Department in order to negotiate directly with President 
Musharraf. Pakistan has a great future if it will maintain civility and 
democracy and freedom of speech and association.
  It is important for President Musharraf to allow the judiciary to a 
decide his fate, to possibly seek another opportunity for election. But 
the most important part is that we, as an ally of Pakistan, must not 
abandon the people of Pakistan. It does have nuclear capacity. We must 
ensure that that nuclear capacity falls not in the wrong hands but is 
used only for civilian purposes and to provide the necessary energy 
resources. We can only do that if democracy is restored and if America 
insists that its friend Pakistan and the people of Pakistan fight and 
are protected in their fight to preserve democracy and the 
constitution.
  We hope over the next couple of days that we will begin that kind of 
approach and as well that the present funding that Pakistan receives, 
it should be made very clear that even though those moneys may not 
presently be in jeopardy that those moneys will be subject to the 
scrutiny of determining whether human rights, constitutional rights, 
and democracy and order are restored to Pakistan. This is the only way 
to save Pakistan for its people and to allow its people to flourish in 
democracy and to grow as a prosperous middle class and for the children 
of Pakistan to see a bright future.

                          ____________________