Musharraf in Karachi to ease tensions
Afp, Karachi
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf held talks with officials and residents in Karachi Friday to defuse tensions after violent political and ethnic fighting left 40 people dead, officials said. Military ruler Musharraf is facing the biggest crisis of his eight-year rule after suspending the head of the country's Supreme Court, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on March 9 for alleged misconduct. Clashes erupted in Karachi on May 12 after Chaudhry was stopped from holding a rally. They developed into running battles between people whose families fled India after partition and Pashtuns from northwest Pakistan. Musharraf, who lived in Karachi as a boy, met top law and order officials and was later to chair a meeting of people from a cross-section of society, officials said. He is expected to stay until Sunday.
|
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf waves to his supporters during a public meeting in Dara Ghazi Khan Wednesday. Thousands of people rallied against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on May 24 for the first time since violent clashes in Karachi as the military ruler headed to the still-tense city. PHOTO: AFP |
