Rice troubled by Pakistani opposition arrests
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The arrest of opposition activists in Pakistan was troubling, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday, making a rare criticism of U.S. ally Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government.
"Look, there are troubling elements here," Rice told Reuters in an interview. "Some of this is troubling and we've certainly told the Pakistanis that it's troubling."
Police in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi launched a crackdown at the weekend on the opposition to thwart protests against Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup and plans to seek another term in office.
Musharraf, who is also Pakistan's army chief, has faced growing demands for an end to military rule since his failed effort this year to oust the country's chief justice sparked a wave of protests.
The political instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan, which Washington regards as vital to stabilizing neighboring Afghanistan, has caused unease among U.S. officials who value Musharraf's counter-terrorism cooperation.
Musharraf plans to seek another term in office from an electoral college including the outgoing national and provincial assemblies on October 6 and his political fate may rest in part with Pakistan's Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court, regarded as hostile to Musharraf since his attempt to sack its top judge, is hearing challenges to Musharraf's right to retain the posts of president and army chief, the legality of being elected in uniform, and whether he should be allowed to get a mandate from outgoing assemblies.
Parliamentary elections are also expected to be held by mid-January and Rice said these must be free.
"We've been really clear with Pakistan that we expect these elections to be free and fair," Rice said, adding that her deputy, John Negroponte, had "long discussions" on this issue during a trip to Pakistan earlier this month.
Many of those arrested in recent days have been members of the political party led by former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf ousted in 1999 and who has been living in exile since.
A spokesman for Sharif, who Musharraf deported to Saudi Arabia hours after flying home on September 10, said about 125 party leaders and activists had been detained. An Interior Ministry official said about 50 activists had been held.
