Pakistan’s Ruling Party Concedes Defeat
Pakistan’s ruling party conceded defeat Tuesday after opposition parties routed allies of President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections that could threaten the rule of America’s close ally in the war on terror.Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in Musharraf’s 1999 coup, suggested that the Pakistani president should listen to the “verdict” of the people in the Monday balloting and step down.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, told AP Television News that “we accept the results with an open heart” and “will sit on opposition benches” in the new parliament.”
Interesting times. Pakistan is certainly an important place to watch, while this development is positive, it is easy to imagine that should the new government prove ineffectual quite a bit of chaos could emerge. Still, this is a strong step forward.
