Pakistan names "dedicated democrat" as U.S. envoy


ISLAMABAD |
Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:52am EST

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan appointed a former information minister and human rights campaigner as its ambassador to the United States Wednesday, moving quickly to fill a post left vacant after tension between the civilian government and military.

Sherry Rehman replaced Husain Haqqani, who resigned on Tuesday, days after a Pakistani-American businessman accused him of being behind a memo that said the military was plotting a coup and appealed to the Pentagon to help ward it off.

Haqqani, who has denied any connection with the memo, wished Rehman well on his Twitter feed and called her a “dedicated democrat.”

The controversy has thrown a spotlight on the fundamental tension in Pakistani politics since the nation, a U.S. ally in the war on terror, was founded in 1947 — competition for power between civilian politicians and military commanders.

Rehman’s appointment was seen as a compromise but her appointment came as a surprise to many analysts who had expected someone even closer to the

Read More from the Article Source: Full Article


Filed under Top Stories and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

Leave a Reply