S. RES.372: Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

November 8, 2007 - Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced S.RES.372 ( Text of the resolution PDF WORD) which expresses the sense of the Senate:

Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate—

(1) to condemn the decision by President Pervez Musharraf
of Pakistan to declare a state of emergency in Pakistan,
suspend the Constitution of Pakistan, dismiss the Supreme Court
Justices refusing to take a loyalty oath, and initiate a
nation-wide crackdown on political opposition, the media, and
the courts in Pakistan;

(2) to call on President Musharraf to revoke the state of
emergency, respect the rule of law and immediately release
political detainees, restore the Constitution of Pakistan,
restore freedom of the press and judicial independence in
Pakistan, and reinstate all dismissed members of the Supreme
Court of Pakistan;

(3) to call upon President Musharraf to honor his
commitment to relinquish his position as Chief of Army Staff of
Pakistan, allow free and fair parliamentary elections in
Pakistan in accordance with the schedule mandated by the
Constitution of Pakistan, establish an independent commission
to guarantee that such elections are free and fair, and permit
full and unfettered independent monitoring of such elections;

(4) that the Government of the United States should provide
whatever assistance is necessary to facilitate such free and
fair elections, including by supporting independent election
monitoring organizations and efforts;

(5) to call upon the Government of Pakistan to conduct a
full investigation into the attempted assassination of former
Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and provide her and
other political leaders with all necessary security to ensure
their personal safety; and

(6) that United States military assistance to Pakistan
should be subjected to careful review, and that assistance for
the purchase of certain weapons systems not directly related to
the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban should be suspended
if President Musharraf does not revoke the state of emergency
and restore the Constitution of Pakistan, relinquish his
position as Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, and allow for free
and fair elections to be held in Pakistan in accordance with
the announced time frame.

The Resolution was co-sponsored by:

Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE),
Barack Obama (D-IL),
Robert Casey (D-PA) and
Richard Durbin (D-IL).

The Resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.