ISLAMABAD : Separatist Support

Across Pakistan on Saturday, shops should remain shuttered and bazaars eerily silent as the country observes a government-endorsed general strike to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir.

Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has swung her support behind the action, originally called by an all-party parliamentary committee in support of militants waging a separatist campaign in India’s only Muslim-majority state. But the stakes don’t just concern Kashmir.

Bhutto’s image has taken a beating lately due to a messy political feud with her family. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, who came out earlier for the strike, accuses her of not uttering a single word in defense of the Kashmiris. By calling on Pakistanis to stay away from work for a day, Bhutto is trying to keep from being outflanked on a hot-button issue by her enemies.