Pakistan Govt Minister Blames Foreign Nation For Unrest

By Cernig

Here's a new twist on an old story - the Pakistani Finance Minister is blaming a foreign government for inciting unrest after Bhutto's assassination.

Caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan Dr Salman Shah has accused 'foreign elements' of being involved in the massive violence that followed the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

"It was a well planned conspiracy by a foreign country to cause devastation at such a scale," he said in an interview yesterday, insisting that rioters had been "hired by foreign elements" and refused to accept that the mayhem was a spontaneous reaction to the tragedy.

The finance minister, however, said: "Those who were behind it will be exposed." He said the country's "enemies had implemented their plan to target strategic communications, telecommunication and railway installations which "cannot go unnoticed by the government which has already ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident".

He added: "It was not a small disturbance but was a very calculated intrigue to create such a huge law and order problem in the country", he said.

It will be interesting to see if the Pakistani government tries to give this tale - ludicrous on the face of it - some legs, and if so which foreign government gets balmed. The PR upside of claiming a Scooby Doo Villain excuse - that the Pakistan authorities could have kept order if it wasn't for those pesky agents provocteurs - is pretty obvious. But if the country blamed is India or Afghanistan then it should be seen as an extension of the military's obsession with defining itself and the nation in relation to those two countries. If Iran is named or hinted at, however, it will be a blatant attempt to woo U.S. hawks back to Musharraf's side.

Being first lady

by shamanic

First Lady Laura Bush sat down with Fox News for an interview yesterday, and in reading the transcript, I was struck by her compelling stories about meeting with groups of breast cancer survivors and women living with the disease in the Middle East. In case you're not clicky, she describes the pink-lined scarves and shawls that are, according to her, emblematic of breast cancer awareness campaigns in Saudi Arabia

I kept thinking, "More of that please," and wishing that Laura Bush, perhaps the most popular member of the current administration, had it in her to really crusade for issues. She could make such a difference, push private monies to public organizations just by speaking out, and really do good work that would save lives.

And maybe I'm being unfair. I don't follow her activities day to day, but I also get the keen sense that she sees her role as inherently low profile and doesn't wish to engage the broader public in any kind of discussion. In short, she's simply a functionary of her husband's administration who has sadly squandered one of the most potent soapboxes in the world because at the heart of it, she's uncomfortable making a difference on her own.