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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Bloody Unrest for a Crucial American Ally

    On Saturday, President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency on Pakistan, claiming that militant violence and an unruly judiciary had created a crisis. Today, protesters in several cities have been tear-gassed and beaten as police arrested thousands of opposition leaders and shut down some media.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    On Saturday, President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency on Pakistan, claiming that militant violence and an unruly judiciary had created a crisis. Today, protesters in several cities have been tear-gassed and beaten as police arrested thousands of opposition leaders and shut down some media. The worsening situation complicates the US relationship with a country President Bush calls a vital ally in the war on terror. Since September 11, the US has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan, supposedly for help in controlling al Qaeda. Pakistan also provides bases and routes for US military supplies going into Afghanistan. We hear how Musharraf's state of emergency is creating a delicate problem for US diplomacy.

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Pakistan's State of Emergency; Writers' Strike
    1. 1:36Bloody Unrest for a Crucial American AllyYou’re reading this
    2. 19:58The Writers' Strike
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Shahan Mufti

      Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Peter Spiegel

      Financial Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Paula Newberg

      Georgetown University

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Pakistan's State of Emergency; Writers' Strike
    1. 1:36Bloody Unrest for a Crucial American AllyYou’re reading this
    2. 19:58The Writers' Strike
    Back to To the Point