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First Place
John Moore Getty Images
"Pakistan On The Brink"
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"Red Mosque" Islamic madrassa students chant anti-American slogans
while demonstrating outside the Red Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan March 6,
2007. The Red Mosque was a hotbed of pro-Taliban sentiment located in the
heart of the nation's capital and less than a mile away from both the U.S.
Embassy and the Pakistani Presidency. Pakistan became a focus of world
concern in 2007, as the nuclear-armed nation went from one crisis to another.
Pro-Taliban Islamic extremists increased in both influence and territory they
controled in much of the country, and the government's peace deal with
Taliban in the tribal area of North Waziristan fell through. President Pervez
Musharraf fired the Supreme Court chief justice in the spring, setting off a
constitutional crisis, sparking protests that continued for the rest of the
year and turning national public opinion solidly against him. Under
international pressure, Musharraf allowed the return of former prime
ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to campaign for upcoming elections.
Musharraf also resigned his post as chief of the army, becoming a civilian
president. The year ended with Bhutto's assassination, which threw the nation
into a state of shock, forced the postponement of elections and made
Pakistanis and international observers alike fear what may lay ahead for
Pakistan in 2008.
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