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Islamabad
Laura King, Correspondent
Laura King's area of coverage is Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey. She joined the Times in 2002 as bureau chief in Jerusalem. Prior to that, she worked for the Associated Press with postings including Washington, Tokyo and London. She has covered conflicts in the Balkans, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in addition to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. EMAILThe engineer was abducted Tuesday and his body found riddled with bullets.
The legislative vote to replace Pervez Musharraf is set for Sept. 6. The other major party in the coalition government may unite behind Zardari if fired judges are reinstated.
His departure also opens the door to a potentially debilitating power struggle.
Facing impeachment, the former general insists he is innocent but asks supporters to accept his decision.
Pakistan military leaders say they are determined to remain apolitical as Musharraf, the former chief of the army is pressed to resign as president or face impeachment.
If Pakistan's president does step down to avoid impeachment, it is not clear whether he will go into exile.
As the drive to impeach Musharraf gains momentum, Pakistan's leader is expected to step down and leave on his own terms rather than face humiliation.
The attack reported by local officials near the Afghan border may signal an increased U.S. campaign against Islamic insurgents. American officials deny knowledge of the strike.
After days of heavy fighting, and with eight soldiers dead, the army stops the campaign in Bajaur. Fighting also erupts in nearby North-West Frontier Province.
The U.S. fears an ouster could bring more instability to Pakistan.
Critics say the party has been trying to advance Islamist interests in officially secular Turkey. The verdict averts a political crisis.
Pakistan military is tight-lipped about the incident. Local officials say at least 12 people died in the attack, believed to have been carried out by a U.S. aerial drone.
The nation's highest court convenes Monday to consider whether to ban or otherwise sanction the ruling party for activities deemed anti-secular.
He meets with Karzai in Afghanistan and calls for diverting U.S. troops in Iraq to the Central Asian nation, which he says is the main front in the fight against terrorism.
The effort, in the wake of an attack that killed nine GIs at a remote base, may include redirecting a brigade scheduled to deploy to Iraq.
The 86 accused in the indictment face terrorism-related charges. They are said to be ultranationalist secularists who wanted to drive out the Islamist-rooted ruling party.
Most of the dead in the suicide attack are police officers at an Islamabad protest rally marking the anniversary of last year's Red Mosque raid.
COLUMN ONE
The performance artist donned bridal attire -- to signify the 'marriage' of cultures and the building of trust -- and hitchhiked toward the Mideast. She didn't make it.
SOUTH ASIA
Nargis Iqbal's face fell when she heard the bad news: A shipment of inexpensive cooking oil that arrived only that morning had already sold out.
Acting in accordance with her last wishes, Benazir Bhutto's party Sunday named her 19-year-old son as its ceremonial leader and her widowed husband as the executor of its day-to-day affairs as violence that had flared in Pakistan after her assassination subsided.
As voting nears, polls indicate that Musharraf's party could face a thrashing even as allies point to solid support.
The elections turnout may have hit a new low, but many who braved violence to vote wanted to send a message to the president.
Baitullah Mahsud is blamed for Bhutto's assassination, but his power may be greatly exaggerated.
The nation's Election Commission, made up of supporters of President Musharraf, cites damage done to electoral offices. It is expected to announce a new date Wednesday.
Pakistan officials deny the slain leader was hit by either bullets or shrapnel. Instead, they say, she fractured her skull from the impact of the suicide bombing.
The crowd in the Rawalpindi park waited impatiently for Bhutto, and she did not disappoint them. Then shots and a blast.
Pakistan leader's aides indicate that a date for ending emergency rule may be announced today.
But the Pakistani president won't say when emergency rule will end, and rights groups question the fairness of the parliamentary vote under such conditions.
The deposed head of the Supreme Court is seen as one of the few to stand up to a dictator.