Post slams Musharraf and Bush

It lambasted the Bush administration for praising Musharraf over his handling of the situation in Pakistan. In an editorial titled 8220;Democracy Under Arrest: Why is the Bush administration 8216;proud8217; to support Pakistan8217;s military ruler?8221;, the influential paper said Musharraf8217;s attempt to neuter the court is matched by his implacable refusal to come to terms with Pakistan8217;s secular democratic political parties and former civilian prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

8220;Both Houses of Congress have passed legislation linking further aid to Pakistan to steps against the Taliban. Yet the administration stiffly opposes the measures. Boucher publicly assured Pakistanis that there would be no aid restrictions. It8217;s hard to understand why,8221; the paper said.

8220;Does the Bush administration really believe that its unqualified declarations of support will change this military strongman8217;s behaviour?8221; the Post asked. 8220;To protect his own grip on power, Musharraf prefers to make deals with the extremists while repressing the secularists,8221; the paper said.