WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John F. Tierney (D-MA) participated in a conference call with Massachusetts press to discuss the official Congressional trip he is leading in Afghanistan and Pakistan. During his trip, Congressman Tierney is meeting with U.S. troops stationed in the region, as well as U.S. and NATO military commanders, diplomats, President Musharraf, and other senior foreign officials in order to discuss our anti-terror efforts, reconstruction and the democratization efforts in each country.

During his call, Chairman Tierney made the following statement:

“We are over here in Pakistan right now and have been for the last couple of days, and on our way to Afghanistan. The things we are looking to are the situation with respect to the Taliban, and what is happening in Afghanistan with respect to that and the expected spring surge. We are also exploring what is happening in Pakistan and the impact of it on Afghanistan, as well as what some people are calling here the Talibanization of Pakistan itself.

“I think that is a great concern to a number of people. It is impacted by a lot of issues, not the least of which is whether or not there will really be free and fair elections this fall in Pakistan. And, there’s been a great deal of consternation building up over a period of time about things that are happening with the registration issues: whether or not people are being dropped from the voter rolls; disappearance of some people without explanation who are generally perceived to be critics of the Musharraf regime; and the situation whether or not the president is going to keep both his uniform as a general and his role as president.

“The opposition in Pakistan has been building on that for a while, they feel as though President Musharraf and the military have not been as strong as they should have been against the Taliban. At times the opposition accused them of working both sides against the middle, and of being somewhat reluctant to go after the Taliban because its existence gives them a reason to continue on in power, and the opposition thinks there’s a bit of an unholy alliance with respect to that. And, all of that then got a little bit fueled when President Musharraf dismissed the supreme court justice of Pakistan, and people have taken to the streets in great numbers about that. It’s been a fairly complex time over here.

“There is no doubt that this is a complex, tenuous and dynamic region, and one facing a very critical time in its history.

“Over the next several days, I will be moving on to Afghanistan, which has been and remains a central front in the war against radical fundamentalism. I will talk with top Afghani officials, top U.S. and NATO leaders and military commanders, and Afghani and international officials involved in reconstruction. We will also see for ourselves the functioning of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and visit U.S. troops, including those from Massachusetts.”