Carney Statement on the Assassination of Pakistan Opposition Leader Benazir Bhutto

Press Release

CARNEY STATEMENT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF PAKISTAN OPPOSITION LEADER BENAZIR BHUTTO

Congressman Christopher P. Carney issued the following statement on the assassination of Pakistan Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto:

"This tragic assassination demonstrates that Al Qaeda and the violent Islamist parties in Pakistan do not have any political legitimacy. They can only make statements through mayhem, destruction and death.

"Unfortunately, the Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) is rife with Al Qaeda sympathizers and that the attack occurred in Rawalpindi (the Pakistani military HQ) indicates how difficult fundamentalists are to root out, even from the military.

"This attack also is a significant setback for the Bush Administration's Global War on Terror policy. The U.S. has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan to fight terror, and the fact that suicide bombing has now migrated from Afghanistan into Pakistan is very troubling. This attack, combined with a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan indicates that any gains the U.S. has made in Afghanistan are tenuous at best.

"Pakistan is a linchpin in the Global War on Terror and the fact that a political figure with the stature of Benazir Bhutto can be easily assassinated demonstrates that Pakistan is still an unstable environment.

"This tragic assassination does not bode well for democracy in Pakistan, including the upcoming January parliamentary elections. This event is a tipping point in the history of Pakistan's democracy--what happens in the next few days will define Pakistan for the foreseeable future. The world will be watching, we can only hope that majority moderates in Pakistan prevail."

Congressman Carney is a counterterrorism expert and has previously served as an adviser for the Pentagon. He currently serves as a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves.

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