congressional_record: CREC-2002-11-22-pt1-PgE2130-4
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2002-11-22-pt1-PgE2130-4 | 2002-11-22 | 107 | 2 | CONCERNS WITH THE PAKISTANI PARLIAMENT'S RELIGIOUS BLOC | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2130 | E2131 | [{"name": "Frank Pallone, Jr.", "role": "speaking"}] | 148 Cong. Rec. E2130 | Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002) [Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2130-E2131] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CONCERNS WITH THE PAKISTANI PARLIAMENT'S RELIGIOUS BLOC ______ HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. of new jersey in the house of representatives Friday, November 22, 2002 Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to express my concerns regarding the Pakistani Parliament and in particular, the efforts of the Islamic alliance to form a governing coalition in Parliament with either the King's Party, led by President [[Page E2131]] Musharraf, or the People's Party, led by Benazir Bhutto. Mr. Speaker, during Parliamentary elections held in Pakistan last month, members of the Pakistani religious bloc known as the Islamic allies unexpectedly won 60 out of 342 seats. Not only was this surprising, but furthermore, the outcome of the elections was divided in such a way that no party won the number of seats necessary to form a government. As a result, the Islamic allies have been negotiating separately with the pro-Musharraf party and the Bhutto party in an effort to form a coalition and thereby create a majority. Their intent is to demand a reversal of constitutional amendments introduced by Musharraf earlier this year, and most importantly, to overturn the amendment that allows Musharraf to dismiss Parliament. However, what concerns me greatly is that the members of this Islamic alliance, or this Pakistani religious bloc, won their seats based almost exclusively on an anti-American platform. In fact, this party's primary campaign message criticized Musharraf's support for the war on terror and denounced Musharraf's cooperation with the United States. In addition, a component of this party's message demanded that the U.S. military leave Pakistan and Afghanistan immediately. Lastly, the Islamic allies have encouraged Pakistanis to offer sanctuary to both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and to embrace the work of Osama bin Laden. Mr. Speaker, I believe that for these reasons, it is imperative that Pakistan's religious bloc remain unsuccessful in forming a coalition with Musharraf's party or Bhutto's party. If in fact this party gained a majority and was able to implement its anti-US policies, the consequences would be devastating. At this stage, it does not seem as if the religious bloc will be able to achieve forming a government. However, Mr. Speaker, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to monitor this situation closely. ____________________ |