by Alejandra Molina
Assistant Editor
Every third Thursday of each month, Hot Spots meets to discuss current, national or international issues. For the group’s first meeting, Sept. 19, the issue “Pakistan: American Partner in War Against Terrorism?” was discussed.
Kenneth Marcus, director of the Institute of International Studies, organizes the sessions and enlists the speakers who will be presenting in these meetings.
“The issue of Pakistan is a precarious situation and currently requires immense political skill on a constant basis,” Marcus said.
The speaker for the meeting, Ahmed Ispahani, professor of business administration and economics, informed the audience on past and existing problems in Pakistan and how these problems have affected its relationship with the United States.
Ispahani’s cousin, Benazir Bhutto, was the Prime Minister of Pakistan twice and was prevented from finishing her term because at that time, the government was overthrown by the military.
“It is a very important issue to discuss,” Ispahani said. “The government ministry has announced that on Oct. 10 they will be having elections and will not allow my cousin to run.”
In a matter of a few months, the ministry dictator in Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, passed 29 new amendments. Five of those amendments were designed to disqualify Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, who was Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1990 and 1997, from running for the prime ministry position in the Oct. 10 elections.
While Sharif held the prime ministry position, Musharraf overthrew his government. Sharif was sent to jail and later into exile.
“He (Musharraf) was afraid that Sharif would be elected as the president military leader,” Ispahani said.
“We know the outcomes,” Isaphani said, adding that the election has already been rigged.
For the next five years, Musharaf will be president and has already created the National Security Council for Pakistan, which gives a permanent place for the armed forces.
The concentrated powers of the country will be in the hands of the Security Council.
“Already this week, European observers have arrived in Pakistan to observe the election,” Ispahani said. “They have expressed their unsatisfaction with what is going on. Under Pakistan law and international law, the military leader has no constitutional power to not allow the former two prime ministers to run for office.”
In Oct. 1999, Musharraf took over Coudaton and left the United States unhappy with this decision. Because of this, the United States immediately cut off all economic and military aid to Pakistan and insisted on democracy restoration in Pakistan.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the relationship between the United States and Pakistan changed as Musharraf offered his cooperation to go after the terrorists. As a reward for his help, the United States lifted the band with Pakistan and resumed economic and military aid.
Because most of the people in the armed forces come from the northwest frontier of Pakistan and from Baluchistan, these people are strong supporters of Bin Laden.
With this in mind, Ispahani raised a strong point.
“The question is if he is a real friend of the United States,” Ispahani said. “He’s playing both friends with the United States by going after Al Queda as well as pleasing the local people,” he said.
Topics that will be discussed in future meetings are sexual abuse and the Catholic church, industrial development and the environment, and freedom of the arts and government funding in the present political climate.
“We hope to accomplish an intensive discussion among faculty and students on a wide range of controversial issues,” Marcus said.
