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Crisis In Pakistan Deepens

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Los Angeles Times

Published: March 15, 2009

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Pakistani government said Saturday it had placed the armed forces on alert amid an escalating power struggle with former allies, and vowed anew to prevent a massive opposition rally in the capital Monday.

U.S. diplomatic efforts to defuse the political crisis intensified as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton separately telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari and his chief rival, Nawaz Sharif, urging both sides to show restraint, according to spokesmen for the two camps.

But those appeals to cool the political crisis that many Pakistanis fear could result in bloodshed during the protest appear to have been rebuffed as both sides geared up for a showdown.

Zardari has said he wants a negotiated settlement to the crisis. But sentiment on both sides appeared to be hardening. The decision to place the military on alert served mainly to galvanize protesters, who said they would reach Islamabad despite blockades along major routes.

In a last-minute move to mollify the opposition, Zardari's spokesman said Saturday the government would seek a review of a Supreme Court decision last month that disqualified Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, from holding elective office. But Sharif has said that such a gesture would be insufficient to head off the protests.

The current battle between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, erupted on Feb. 25 when the president imposed executive rule on the Punjab Legislature, the stronghold of Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N.

Information from The New York Times was used in this report.

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