Protests in Pakistan

In the days after the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell, Pakistan gave its condolences to the US government and vowed to help in the fight against terrorism. Immediately protests began in the streets of Pakistan's major cities.

At first the demonstrations were relatively peaceful--a few dozen or as many as a hundred people holding signs and chanting or praying. But last week, the military junta that rules Pakistan announced that it would allow US military access to Pakistani airspace and ground bases and would provide intelligence information to the US on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. The demonstrations in Pakistan immediately became larger and more violent.

Muslim clerics called for a one-day general strike in Pakistan to begin following prayers on Friday, Sept 21. Over 20,000 people streamed into the streets of Lahore, carrying flags, banners, and signs and shouting "God is Great!" and "Down with America!" In Peshawar, near the Afghanistan border, about 5,000 people marched and chanted "We will fight until the destruction of the USA!" Demonstrators burned an effigy of President Bush. Nearby, hill tribesmen voiced support for the general strike.

In Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan, all businesses were closed and armored personnel carriers and police vans patrolled the streets.

Nearly all businesses, government offices, and schools around the country--including the capital city of Islamabad--were closed because transportation workers had joined the general strike.

Muslim leaders called for the strike and marches to be peaceful, but violence broke out when a crowd of demonstrators in downtown Karachi threw stones at buses and cars that were running in spite of the strike.

Police responded by beating people with iron-tipped batons and shooting automatic weapons into the crowd. Three people were killed and 70 were arrested. In the meantime, a crowd of 1,500 people in a poor suburb of Karachi burned tires and blockaded streets.

Police later used tear gas to break up some of the rallies, but they fought pitched battles with protesters all throughout Karachi.

A Gallup poll taken earlier in the week in Pakistan showed that 62% of the population are opposed to the Pakistani government's decision to support the US's "War on Terrorism." This number directly contradicts reports in the US press, which maintains (without citing any facts or sources) that only 10-15% of Pakistan's population disapprove of a US military action in their region.

Because of the risk of touching off a civil war, key members of the Pakistani government are uneasy with offering support to the US. In particular, the top military advisors to President General Pervez Musharraf are arguing that he should provide only a bare minimum of access to US planes and troops. Said one retired general: "There could be grave implications of allowing the US forces to station in Pakistan for a long-term military campaign in the region. Even when they (US special forces) came in recent years for joint exercises, we used to take them to remote places to keep them away from the public eye."

The US has, nevertheless, found a way to bribe the Pakistani government into compliance--by offering to lift the sanctions imposed on Pakistan after it exploded its first nuclear bomb three years ago. In addition, the US government will reschedule $600 million in debt for Pakistan under an agreement to be signed on Sept. 24. But that's not all. The US, the largest stakeholder in the International Monetary Fund, has also pressured the IMF to provide a "hefty loan" to Pakistan.

In the meantime, Pakistani protesters have vowed to fight a holy war against their own government if it allows US troops onto Pakistani soil. More demonstrations are scheduled for the future.