9-21-08, 8:56 am

As a result of the surge in military activity on its western border with Afghanistan, Pakistan is currently in deep waters politically. The present predicament is the direct result of continued subservience to the United States by the Pakistani civilian and military establishment.

The Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) has struggled hard, along with other democratic forces, to oust the Pakistani army from Pakistani politics and the economy, and although the military is still well entrenched in its economic empire, it suffered a serious setback in the general elections of February 2008. At that time, mass public pressure to a large extent prevented the military establishment from manipulating the election results.

On August 18, the symbol of dictatorship, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was forced to resign the presidency. An elected civilian government is now in power. The continuation of this process of transformation to civilian rule is in the interest of Pakistan’s left and democratic forces, despite all the shortcomings of the ruling coalition political parties. Now, however, conspiracies at the local and international level have begun to destabilize democratic civilian rule.

The United States and its NATO allies have long been violating Pakistani sovereignty by attacking suspected militant hideouts with missiles fired from inside Afghanistan. During the government of General Musharraf, these attacks were accepted by the Pakistani army in order to curry favor with the United States.

In recent weeks, however, the accelerated aerial and ground attacks by American forces within Pakistan, along with Washington's bellicose threats to attack even Karachi and Islamabad, are putting the democratically-elected civilian government in an awkward position, since the Pakistani army might be thinking of taking advantage of this tumultuous situation. An example of the tendency to reassert the army’s power are the recent statements by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani [ED: the former head of Pakistan's military intelligence agency, handpicked by Musharraf as his successor], which attempt to gain the sympathies of the people by sounding a warning to the US.

At this time, the CPP calls on everyone, in Pakistan and around the world, to strongly condemn all violations of Pakistan's sovereignty by the United States. Speaking out against cross-border attacks will help to strengthen Pakistan's fledgling anti-imperialist and pro-democracy forces by providing them with the moral support they need.

--A statement from the Communist Party of Pakistan.