12 October 1999
White House Report, Tuesday, October 12, 1999
(Pakistan, CTBT, Jordan's King) (670) POLITICAL CRISIS UNFOLDING IN PAKISTAN Asked by reporters to comment on developments in Pakistan, White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart responded that "we know from our embassy and from other sources that clearly there's a political crisis unfolding," in that country. "We are trying to ascertain hard and certain information as we speak," he told reporters at his afternoon briefing October 12. "This is, obviously, a fluid situation. There are a number of rumors and reports" about what is happening there, "and at this point we have not ascertained the full extent of the situation," Lockhart said. He cautioned the press not to speculate based on incomplete information. Lockhart noted that there are around 4,000 Americans in Pakistan. "The State Department has issued a warning for them to show caution and care in this moment, and to stay close to home," he said. News reports say that Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was under house arrest after he tried to oust his Army Chief of Staff Pervez Musharraf. CNN said Pakistan's state-run TV resumed broadcasting October 13 after being off the air for three hours. Playing patriotic music, the station announced that Musharraf would address the nation, CNN said. Later, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said that the United States is "concerned" about developments "and if there is unconstitutional and undemocratic change of government, that could only mean that we could not continue with business as usual with Pakistan." ................
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