Lawmakers Heckle Pakistani President
President Pervez Musharraf was drowned out by booing and jeering opponents Saturday in his first speech to parliament since seizing power in a coup in 1999.
Some opponents walked out of the joint session of parliament shortly after the general began speaking.
Others drowned out his words with shouts of “Down with dictatorships!” and “Go, Musharraf, go!”
The protests were led by supporters of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, former prime ministers barred by Musharraf from returning from exile for 2002 elections, and Islamists who only recently cut a deal to keep the president in power until at least 2007.
Musharraf, wearing a traditional white tunic rather than his typical military uniform, spoke on Pakistan’s support for the United States-led war on terrorism, efforts to combat Islamic extremism, improving ties with India and his country’s nuclear deterrent.
“I appeal to you ... to wage jihad against extremism,” he said amid the heckling.
In his speech, Musharraf promised to hunt down Al Qaeda and Taliban militants thought to be operating from Pakistan’s tribal regions.
Islamists walked out en masse to show opposition to his support for the “war on terrorism.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
