A string of rallies to free detainees held incommunicado has weakened President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and
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Pakistan’s chief justice, Muhammad Chaudhry, a leading force behind the rallies, was suspended by Musharraf in March after taking the case of the disappeared in October 2006. The Supreme Court reinstated Chaudhry on July 20.
Government security forces have been rounding up civilians without charges since Sept. 11, 2001, to weaken rising militant opposition to the U.S.-backed regime. Human rights groups say more than 400 are missing or detained.
Claiming the one-size-fits-all “war on terror” pretext, a White House aide said on July 22 that the United States has not ruled out using military force in Pakistan.
