CRISIS IN PAKISTAN

More Asia Society Pakistan Resources | Additional Pakistan Resources

Pakistan's Parliamentary Elections: National and Global Implications NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2008 - Pakistan's February 18 parliamentary elections dealt a severe blow to President Musharraf and his PML-Q party, and have been hailed as a reflection of the will of the people. Despite fears to the contrary, the elections proceeded with relatively minimal violence and rigging. In partnership with South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), the Asia Society hosted a panel to shed light on the implications of these groundbreaking elections for both Pakistan and the international community. Assessing both the domestic and international forces at play, the panel weighed in on the prospects of a sustainable governing coalition's emerging from the election, as well as the restoration of an independent judiciary.

Left to right: Craig Cohen, Mahnaz Ispahani, Aqil Shah (Azadeh Fartash/Asia Society)

NEW YORK, February 20, 2008 - Even as the Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Q, the main party backing President Pervez Musharraf, has been dealt a resounding blow in Monday's parliamentary elections, the general has ruled out resigning as head of state.

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2008 - Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (Movement for Justice), speaks at the Asia Society about the dire political situation in Pakistan and the urgent need for democratic governance.

Listen on Demand (1 hr., 13 min.)

What Next After Bhutto's Assassination? NEW YORK, January 4, 2008 - In response to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, leading experts participate in an emergency town hall meeting at Asia Society's headquarters in New York and discuss the present domestic political situation in the country as well as implications for US policy.

Left to right: Barnett Rubin, moderator Kiran Khalid, Richard Holbrooke (Asia Society)

Listen on Demand (1 hr., 23 min.)

The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Asia Society expresses its profound regret at the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto. We express solidarity with the people of Pakistan at this moment of loss.

NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2007 - Following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Ambassador Richard Holbrooke spoke via telephone to Nermeen Shaikh at the Asia Society.
Read more.

Asia Society Interview with Ahmed Rashid and Barnett Rubin:
A Discussion on Pakistan and Afghanistan

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2007 - The Asia Society's Nermeen Shaikh interviews leading experts Barnett Rubin and Ahmed Rashid on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Topics include the resurgence of the Taliban, the relationship between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, the reasons behind the increasing numbers of suicide attacks in both countries, and Iran and US policy objectives in the region.

Pakistan Today: The Musharraf Government Makes Its Case
Co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations

Panelists, left to right: Nasim Ashraf, Mohammad Ali Saif, Nicholas Platt, Kashmala Tariq

NEW YORK, November 30, 2007 - Even with the announcement of general elections scheduled for January 2008, Pakistan's political situation remains uncertain. To make its case in the United States, the Musharraf government sent a Special Delegation of officials to make the official case. Click on the link above for an in-depth and challenging dialogue with the members of this delegation on the way forward in Pakistan.

Barnett Rubin and Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan and Pakistan

NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 - A conversation with Barnett Rubin, Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center on International Cooperation, New York University.

Asia Society Emergency Town Hall Meeting

NEW YORK, November 8, 2007 - Asia Society discussed the ongoing crisis with leading experts recently returned from Pakistan—Daniel Markey (CFR), Robert Templer (ICG), and Saeed Shafqat (CPPG), as well as with analysts and activists in Pakistan via teleconference—Asma Jahangir and Ayaz Amir.

More Asia Society Resources

Op-Ed: Pakistan's Buddha statues are being attacked
Asia Society President Vishakha Desai on the threat to "one of the most precious legacies of early Buddhist history."

Special Edition of the The Weekly Fix: Exclusive Interview with Najam Sethi
A special edition of The Weekly Fix podcast featuring an exclusive phoner with Najam Sethi, outspoken Pakistani journalist and Editor-in-Chief of The Friday Times, on the protests in Pakistan, press restrictions, Musharraf's future, and the crucial role of the United States. Sethi is an International Council Member of the Asia Society.

Op-Ed: Confederation of Terror
In this September Washington Post article, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellow and Foreign Editor of the Hindustan Times, discusses the deteriorating situation in Pakistan's border areas.
Read the op-ed

Interview: Zahid Hussain, author of Frontline Pakistan
Zahid Hussain is a leading journalist and political analyst in Pakistan. In his book Frontline Pakistan, he dismisses widely held claims that Musharraf is the only thing standing between Pakistan and an Islamic revolution.
Read the interview

Interview: Human Rights Advocate Asma Jahangir
Asma Jahangir, Pakistan's leading human rights advocate, argues that there has always been "a nexus between the military and the Islamists" in Pakistan. She has been placed under house arrest for 90 days under the recently declared state of emergency.
Read the interview

Interview: Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns
In an interview with the Asia Society late last year, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns discusses American support for the Musharraf government, saying that Pakistan is the most important partner for the US in the global war on terrorism.
Read the interview

Additional Resources

Daily Times - English-language daily in Pakistan
Dawn News - Broadcast news network and English-language daily in Pakistan
Jang Group of Newspapers - English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan
Council on Foreign Relations - Leading US think tank on foreign policy
The Guardian - UK daily
International Crisis Group - Non-profit global political analysis and advocacy organization
SAJAforum.org - South Asian Journalists Association Pakistan coverage