Zardari Ups the Ante in Pakistan

The standoff between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif took a turn for the worse today, with riot police surrounding Sharif's home and placing him under house arrest. Sharif, for his part, says he will ignore the order. "The house arrest is illegal and immoral. All these decisions are unconstitutional," he told AFP. Zardari is cracking down hard on planned protests scheduled for tomorrow against his failure to reappoint judges who were ousted by the previous military government. The rally could threaten his hold on power and push nuclear-armed Pakistan further toward anarchy.