Pakistani police arrest hundreds
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistani police arrested hundreds of political activists Sunday during the second day of martial law declared by President Pervez Musharraf.
Police raided the homes of opposition party leaders and activists and confiscated the equipment of journalists covering the raids, The Washington Post reported.
Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy group, condemned the reported arrests of nearly 500 people as "an appalling attack on human rights defenders."
Musharraf, in a television address Saturday, said militant violence and an interfering judiciary forced him to impose the emergency rule.
"Extremists are roaming around freely in the country, and they are not scared of law-enforcement agencies," Musharraf said hours after declaring emergency rule and replacing the supreme court chief justice.
Abdul Hameed Dogar was sworn in as the new chief justice, replacing dismissed Iftikhar Choudhry, whose court had yet to rule on the validity of Musharraf’s October re-election to a second term. There have been reports Musharraf expected an adverse court ruling.
Musharraf called Pakistan "on the verge of destabilization" saying he would not allow Pakistan "to commit suicide."
Biden says Musharraf has control of nukes
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate, says Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would stay in control of that country's nuclear arsenal.
Appearing Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation," the Delaware senator said in response to a question that even if there are riots following Musharraf's seizure of emergency powers, Pakistan's nuclear weapons are adequately guarded.
"I believe they are," Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said. "But look, Musharraf has pretty firm control of the military. The military has pretty firm control of the nuclear arsenal. And right now what they have, to the best of my knowledge ... their nuclear weapons and the delivery systems, that is, the missiles, in separately. They are in separate places guarded by their military."
However, Biden added that he worried about "the total degeneration of that country and who knows what will come out of the military as well if this thing gets really out of hand."
If the country's radicals gain control -- Musharraf said he acted to save the country from militants -- "they are going to obviously have control and be able to marry those two things, the actual nuclear weapon and
the missile to deliver the nuclear weapon. Right now I believe the military has full and firm control of
both of those."
Biden also questioned the effectiveness of continued U.S. military aid to Pakistan and Musharraf's operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida along the western border.
Thompson comes down soft on Musharraf
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, a Republican presidential hopeful, Sunday cautiously defended the seizure of emergency power by Pakistan's president.
"I do not know exactly what (President Pervez) Musharraf sees or thinks he sees to cause him to do what he has done," Thompson said on NBC News' "Meet the Press." Musharraf said he acted to save the country from militants.
"But we need to understand that this is a nuclear country," Thompson said. "We could face a real nightmare scenario by seeing these radical elements, or these terrorist sympathizers, take control of that government and have that nuclear capability there on the border of Afghanistan."
Thompson said the United States can not make a mistake in dealing with Musharraf.
"I think our job right now is to make sure that we know all that he knows and the reasons why he's doing what he's doing," Thompson said.
The Tennessee Republican also said the United States should "stay the course" in Iraq, and as president he would allow coercive interrogation techniques of terror suspects when lives are at stake, let colleges decide whether students could carry concealed weapons and let the states decide on abortion, though he would not favor federal funding for abortions.
Rice meets with Israeli counterparts
JERUSALEM, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Jerusalem Sunday, was told Israel's sanctions against Gaza would not create a unbearable crisis for Palestinian civilians.
"The sanctions Israel has imposed on civilians and the state will not cause a humanitarian crisis in the (Gaza) strip," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, Haaretz reported.
Barak also told Rice Israeli forces would remain in control of security in the West Bank City of Nablus, despite increased cooperation with Palestinian Authority police, Haaretz said.
In a meeting earlier in the day, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Rice negotiations have stalled for a peace summit scheduled later this year in Annapolis, Md.
"We must reach a basic understanding that the creation of a Palestinian state should occur only after Israel's security is established," Livni said in outlining the disagreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
On security issues, Israel agreed to let the United States arbitrate differences between the two sides over implementation of road map for the West Bank, Haaretz said.
