Unfettered Letters

Support Pakistani democracy

When the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court did not bow to the pressure of General Pervez Musharraf (8/20, A-9, “Issue of judges tests Pakistan coalition”), the military dictator fired him and put him and 60 other judges under house arrest.

This led to an unprecedented movement by the lawyers, civil society and the media to try to restore him and the rest of the judiciary. That ultimately led to the Musharraf’s resignation. The majority of Pakistani people hope that Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudry will be restored to his post and rule of law will prevail in the country.

It is high time the United States promoted the cause of democracy in Pakistan and helped the newly elected government establish a sovereign judiciary

Usman Haleem
Leawood

Pakistan election

That The Star waxed effusive over the rejection of Pervez Musharraf in the election of moderates to power in Pakistan should not come as a surprise to anyone (2/21 editorial, “A big victory for moderation”). Nor should the paper’s unbridled glee at the damage to the Bush administration, inasmuch as its editorials have constantly concluded that any setback for the president must be good for the country.

It is possible that the victory by Pakistan’s moderates may prove propitious; nevertheless, is it not a bit premature to declare a favorable change of government before the ink is dry on the certification? A more prudent and adult reaction would be to wait and see what form of government emerges and where its loyalties may lie.

Any student of history should remember our misplaced enthusiasm for that benevolent revolutionary Fidel Castro, who promised a free and democratic Cuba following the overthrow of the dictator Batista. As I remember, no advantage accrued to the United States.

I for one am far more comfortable with Department of State professionals determining our foreign policy than I am with The Star doing it.

J.K. Miller
Columbia

Pakistan crisis

There’s an elephant in Pakistan that every presidential candidate, except Bill Richardson, seems afraid to acknowledge.
It’s convenient to blame al-Qaida for Benazir Bhutto’s murder, but perhaps a bit disingenuous.
If Pervez Musharraf is as strong a U.S. ally as the Bush administration claims, it’s odd that al-Qaida hasn’t killed him.
The facts are that al-Qaida and the Taliban have safe refuge in Musharraf’s Pakistan, Musharraf’s strongest political opponent has been eliminated, and the election that could remove Musharraf has been delayed.
Musharraf changes Supreme Court justices whenever he wants and is probably still commanding the military.
It’s possible that Musharraf isn’t responsible for Bhutto’s murder. Nevertheless, his integrity and credibility are so damaged that he might as well resign. He will not lead Pakistan to democracy because dictators like him don’t gracefully give up power.
Mike Trier
Unionville, Mo.

Bhutto assassination

The senseless murder of Benazir Bhutto is a tragedy for her family and her nation. The accelerating instability in Pakistan could prove a tragedy for the United States. We need to be concerned not only about Pakistan’s continued help in our efforts to destroy al-Qaida , but also Pakistan ensuring its nuclear arsenal and knowledge does not spread to Middle Eastern countries or groups.

Bhutto was one of the rare, secular liberal democrats who had a real chance to move a nation toward democracy. One of the unfortunate byproducts of 9/11 has been increased difficulty for foreign students to study in the United States. We need more foreign students, like Bhutto, to be exposed to liberal democracy. Hopefully, such experience will shape their world view to move their nations toward democracy.

We cannot impose democracy on other nations. If they are to become liberal democracies, it must come from their own citizens committed to the rule of law and a separation of church and state. Education in the United States as well as Britain, Canada and other Western democracies can help them experience the benefits of such political systems.

Bond Faulwell
Overland Park

Bhutto assassination

The terrorist attack on the former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, clearly shows that the current policy in this region needs scrutiny. Pakistan has played a delicate game of supporting the U.S. and fighting the extremist political and tribal militants. Daniel Pearl’s beheading and Bhutto’s death are examples of the ideology that still exists there.

The U.S. media have been blinded by the movement in Pakistan to establish a democracy. Unfortunately, that dream of a democracy must be postponed for now, as the risk of anarchy and an imminent nuclear danger exists. The extremists cannot participate in a democracy — they want to destroy it.

Now is the time for the U.S. to support a pragmatic approach of maintaining security and destroying al-Qaida and Taliban elements. The security of the world depends on it.

Tahir Rahman
Leawood

Pakistan crisis

It has been apparent for a long time that the Bush administration’s foreign policy is non-existent and the proverbial “final straw” is its handling of the buffoon in Pakistan. This guy reminds me of Chaplin’s “Great Dictator,” only Chaplin intended to be funny.
This “leader” had the supposed leaders of the most powerful nation in the world playing his game and by his rules. Bush and Condoleezza Rice tell him he must do something in order to stabilize his country, he doesn’t do it and they praise him as taking steps “in the right direction”!
I wholeheartedly support our troops. But I grieve for them. For what this administration is requiring of them is not right.
Neither the United States nor any other country will ever be able to stabilize Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, etc. History has shown they’re not capable of stabilizing themselves, and yet we continue to sacrifice our finest. And for what?
I keep thinking of those Civil War scenes where the general views the battle from afar as row after row of troops march across an open field to be shot down. It just seems that, nearly 150 years later, we haven’t learned much about the futility of some situations.
Warren Thomas
Olathe

Great mission in Pakistan

After observing children striving to learn under adverse conditions in a remote village in Pakistan, Greg Mortenson, in his book Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, said, “I felt like my heart was being torn out. I knew I had to do something. There was fierceness in their desire to learn despite how mightily everything was stacked against them.”

In 1993, this mountain climber recuperated in Korphe after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the villagers’ kindnesses, he promised to return and build a school. Since then, 58 schools have been built — not just one! This year they are providing education to more than 24,000 children, including 14,000 girls.

Could Mortenson be a future candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize? Our women’s reading group thinks so and fervently recommends this book and its mission.

For more information, contact Mortenson’s nonprofit organization, Central Asian Institute (www.ikat.org).

Mildred St. Clair and Dixie Brown
Kansas City

Military might not the way

Seems once again we’ve hitched our wagon to a falling star. Our insistence on military might over the will of the people will eventually garner us a place along with other empires that lost their principles to greed and fear.

Supporting dictators only underscores our unwillingness to face the fact that our way isn’t always the best way. Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf refuses, not unlike others inside our own government, to even engage in dialog with anyone he perceives as a threat to his own power, dismissing them as terrorists or worse.

As long as we stay this course, there will be no victory and only countless dead, maimed and homeless left in our wake.

J. Hall
Overland Park

Crisis in Pakistan

Let’s see, Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf suspends the constitution, cancels the election, jails his opposition, and brings in the army to clamp down on civil liberties. Dick Cheney must be so jealous.

Brent Hoad
Kansas City