Meanwhile back in Pakistan...

Musharraf assumes presidency as a civilian, opponent Nawaz Sharif calls him illegitimate and urges purge of Supreme Court. Which is funny because when Sharif was in power his supporters stormed the Supreme Court to force the Chief Justice from office. Ah, politics! Oh, and about Sharif?
Sharif's appeal is largely to conservative, religious sections of the electorate. While he is regarded as a moderate he is also seen as a politician more likely to appease radical Islamists than either Bhutto or Musharraf.

One more thing about Sharif. He's not out of the soup yet.
A National Accountability Court (NAB) will take up corruption cases against brothers Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif in Rawalpindi on December 5, a senior NAB official confirmed here.

Deputy prosecutor general Zulfiqar Bhutta said the cases against the Sharifs were activated in August this year before Nawaz Sharif had made his failed attempt to return from exile in September. Interestingly, the warrants of arrest issued against Nawaz before his September 10 landing in Islamabad were still valid and Sharif could be arrested if the NAB so wanted.

“I have no idea whether NAB chairman has withdrawn the arrest warrants or not,” the deputy prosecutor general said.

About Imran Khan? He's not going to participate in the upcoming elections - calling them a fraudulent poll.

While almost all top leaders of the government and opposition parties have filed nomination papers, under protest, Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, is the only exception.

He insisted elections under Musharraf had already been rigged.

(Imran, if anyone's fraudulent around here, it's you- you cast your infidel wife Jemima Khan aside to satisfy the radical Islamists you were courting for political support. Yet she still stood up for you when you went to prison and went on that fraudulent hunger strike - end of rant.)


Good news: It is expected that Musharraf will lift emergency rule today.

Even better news, unfortunately it's not the best news: Troops seize Fazlullah's base. Fazlullah on the run. Looks like the villagers got in on the act, too - destroying the militants fortified bunkers after the militants headed for the hills.
Troops on Wednesday seized Maulana Fazlullah’s base in Swat, where nearly two weeks of clashes have killed around 250 militants, officials said. “Security forces entered the town of Imam Dheri, the main base of Maulana Fazlullah,” provincial government spokesman Amjad Iqbal told AFP. The whereabouts of Fazlullah, however, remain unknown.

“He has gone underground,” the official said. Security sources in the area said the cleric’s close aides have also fled, including his spokesman, Maulana Sirajuddin. They quoted residents as saying they [Fazlullah’s men] were seen heading for the mountains. Iqbal said security forces were in “complete control” of a large stretch of Kabal district after shelling suspected insurgent locations with artillery and mortar fire.

Some more good news - it looks like progress is being made by the Pakistani army in Swat, and in other regions. In fact, it is being reported that most of Swat is now under military control. But those Taliban militants are still kicking it in those semi-autonomous tribal regions...Taliban issue moral codes in Bajaur.

Pro-Taliban militants have warned residents here not to put musical ring tones or pictures in their mobile phones, witnesses said on Wednesday. A pamphlet distributed in Khar, the main town of Bajaur district bordering Afghanistan, also told people not to shave their beards, listen to music or smoke cigarettes and hashish. The pamphlet, handwritten in Pashto language, also forbade tribesmen from leaving their homes without caps or to carry weapons without permission from the militants.

Here in the US a Pakistani image repair team is swooping down on Capitol Hill to explain why Pervez did what he did. Huh, maybe they can give San Fran Nan and Dingy Harry some image repair tips while they are there - talking about needing your image repaired...(and head examined.)

And despite progress on the ground in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan (to say nothing of their woeful plea for financial support via the Interweb)the UN believes that Al Qaeda and the Taliban are getting stronger...honestly.

And last but not least, here's a good read about Pakistan and their nukes in the the WSJ. It's definitely worth a look-see: Inside Pakistan's Drive to guard it's A-bombs.