Imran fights back,

terrorism.openDemocracy — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:16:16 +0000

The inevitable clash?

By calling for mass demonstrations against the administration of President Pervez Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto has set herself and her party on a course of confrontation with the president, eroding the possibility of a future power-sharing scheme between them.

In this YouTube message, cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan exhorts the country to civil disobedience against the new martial law, and tells the west that Musharraf is not fighting the war on terror, but is only prolonging his dictatorial regime. Imran compared Pakistan under Musharraf to Iran under the Shah, highlighting the possibility of an Islamist revolution.

The Frontier Post, published in Quetta, urges Musharraf to rethink his course of action lest Pakistan turn into a pariah state like Myanmar.

Police tear-gassed pro-Bhuto demonstrators in Islamabad today.

Politicians in Afghanistan blame the current crisis gripping the country in large part on Hamid Karzai's government for largely failing to deliver on basic social services.

Karzai has begged Iranian authorities to treat Afghan refugees in the country more delicately after 8,000 Afghans were recently expelled from the country.

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Turkish pressure against the PKK rebel group along with more liberal social policies in the Kurdish regions of the country have seen a shrinking of support for the militants amongst Kurds. But most Kurds remain unconvinced that much has really changed in the way Ankara sees the minority group.

Security forces killed three Kurdish guerrillas in recent fighting in eastern Turkey.

Euro terrorism suspect arrests

In coordinated arrests of twenty terrorism suspects - many of North African origin - in Britain, Portugal, France and Italy, European counterterrorist forces claim to be chipping away at a network of recruiters for insurgent groups in Iraq.

Coming home

A downturn in violence in parts of Baghdad has led to the return of 46,000 refugees to their homes in the capital, according to Iraqi officials.

With the deaths of over 800 soldiers, 2007 has already proved to be the deadliest year for US troops in Iraq.

Tunnels unearthed

Egyptian authorities have found six smuggling tunnels into the besieged Gaza Strip on their side of the border.

Torture endemic to Uzbekistan

A Human Rights Watch report claims that the use of torture pervades many levels of Uzbekistan's criminal justice system. The country's case is up for examination by the United Nations Committee Against Torture this Friday.

Clashes in Macedonia

Police fought with Albanian gunmen near the Macedonian town of Tetovo, the centre of an Albanian insurgency in 2001.

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Imran fights back,