"President Bush should have stayed in Pakistan another week. In a joint statement with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, they talked about their visit and important issues ranging from improving a "robust defense relationship" to continued joint efforts fighting terror.

But the president could have added one more item to his agenda, the official U.S. government view about Pakistan's human rights record.

"Pakistan's human rights record continued to be poor, despite President Musharraf's stated commitment to democratic transition and 'enlightened moderation.' Restrictions remained on freedom of movement, expression, association, and religion," according to the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices -- 2005.

The report cites numerous examples of illegal arrests, torture and government-sanctioned murders (our government calls this "extrajudicial killings").

The country has religious divisions that are as deep as those in the rest of the region, pitting the majority Sunni against smaller Islamic sects Shiite and Ahmadis as well as Christians and Hindus."

Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: For Bush and Pakistanis, a lot to learn (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/12)

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