Zardari decries violations of Pakistan sovereignty

[September 20, 2008]  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's new president told Parliament on Saturday that the nation will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty by "any power" in the name of fighting terror, a clear signal to the U.S. to avoid controversial cross-border strikes.

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, also asked the parliament to form a committee to consider reducing the presidential powers enhanced under his predecessor, longtime U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf.

A series of suspected U.S. missile attacks and an American-led ground assault in Pakistan's militant-plagued northwest have angered Pakistanis in recent weeks. Zardari has faced some criticism in not being more outspoken against such strikes before.

"We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism," Zardari, who easily won the presidency earlier this month after Musharraf quit under threat of impeachment, told lawmakers Saturday.

Nonetheless, Zardari is considered generally pro-American and he warned in his speech that terrorism was a grave challenge to the country. He said the government should resolve firmly not to allow Pakistani soil to be used in carrying out terrorist activities against other countries.

During his address to parliament, Zardari also touched on other serious issues facing the country, including its convulsing economy, the need for greater rights for women, and the conflict with India over Kashmir.

Zardari's rise to the presidency has brought some hope for political stability after a year of turmoil that witnessed emergency rule, Bhutto's assassination, a highly charged election, the collapse of a ruling civilian coalition and Musharraf's resignation.

Though saddled with a reputation as being corrupt, Zardari could prove a powerful president partly because he also leads the party that controls the largest number of seats in parliament.

But he has promised to respect the supremacy of parliament, and during his speech, he asked for an all-parties committee to re-examine constitutional changes under Musharraf that gave the president the power to dissolve parliament. Zardari called such powers "distortions."

The mere fact that Zardari addressed parliament was symbolic: Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 military coup, did so once to jeers from opposition lawmakers. Next week, Zardari is expected to see President Bush while leading a delegation to the United Nations.

Zardari has faced criticism for dragging his feet on promises to restore dozens of judges Musharraf ousted last year in a bid to avoid challenges to his rule.

Though some justices have been restored, including a pair of Supreme Court judges who took oaths Saturday, Zardari has pushed for legal changes expected to weaken the judiciary, though during his speech he stressed the importance of the judiciary's independence.

Zardari also appears wary of the still-deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, who questioned a pact signed by Musharraf that quashed long-standing corruption charges against Zardari and Bhutto.

Underscoring the threat of militancy in Pakistan, a suicide car bomber attacked an army convoy Saturday in the North Waziristan tribal region. Three civilians and three soldiers were killed, said Maj. Murad Khan, an army spokesman.

Pakistani military operations also continued in Bajur, a militant-riddled northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan. U.S. officials have praised the Pakistani offensive, saying it has led to reduced violence on the Afghan side.

[Associated Press; By MUNIR AHMAD]

Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Habib Khan in Khar, and Asif Shahzad and Nahal Toosi in Islamabad contributed to this report.

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