Issue 52 Vol III, November 30, 2007

E D I T O R I A L

Emperor in New Clothes
Mocking at Democracy

IT was indeed excruciating for poor Pervez Musharraf to shed his ‘second skin’, the military uniform as chief of world’s sixth largest standing army. Derobed and lonely, he is now a self appointed President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. For the past couple of months, Musharraf was under intense pressure from within Pakistan and from his western guardians. Sacking of the Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, lawyers’ strident protest, media’s unstinted support and the reinstatement of the dismissed chief justice had unhinged his plans. He was keen to retain both the positions, the army chief and the president and allow a semblance of elections and a handpicked prime minister, to rule for ever. This did not happen.

Musharraf now has trusted friend in Gen. Ashfaq Pervez kiyani as chief of the army, the institution that only can guarantee his tenure as president. He has handpicked Supreme Court that can ensure his presidency now and in future. Independent minded and daring judges including Chaudhry and Rana Bhgwan Dass are under house arrest and the country under a state of Emergency, nay martial law. Musharraf has repeatedly accused the judges of conspiring to derail the planned transition of democracy. They would have surely set aside his stage managed reelection as president and also there was serious threat to the general amnesty granted to country’s looters and thugs including Benazir Bhutto. His argument: “These extraordinary conditions" forced him to impose emergency rule. The choice was to act or to give in. Acting meant extraordinary measures, no half-hearted measures."

Soon after being sworn in, as he lectured the West for throwing up their brand of democracy on his head, he announced to lift the Emergency on December 16. There were certain gems from the wisdom box of president Musharraf. He found western criticism of his authoritarian tactics as outdated and weird. "There is an unrealistic and maybe impracticable obsession with your form of democracy, with your form of human rights, civil liberties. One certainly cannot sacrifice the stability and development of the nation for the sake of your views."

Ever since he seized power in a bloodless coup from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on October 12, 1999, with a generous and plentiful support from the Bushes of America and the Blaris of England, he has been rough shedding over Pakistan, trying every way to kill any democratic and liberal aspirations, those heathen ideas. It has been America’s guided dictatorship that was pushed into war against terror and the jehadis, those American created political extremists and religious zealots. In the process, much of Pakistan today is in a state of disarray. It’s North West; Balochistan, NWFP, South and North Waziristan and Swat are under the tight control of the Muslim militants. It is a vast battle ground between a divided Pakistan army and the jehadis. America has provided very sophisticated arms, the largest to any country since 9/11, the New York bombing and during the past five years, spent more than ten billion dollars of American citizens’ tax money. All in their fight against terrorism, the al Qaeda and everyone else. The USA is not only struck in the blood soaked Iraq and Afghanistan but has turned Pakistan into a more dangerous place. It was compelled to stage some kind of democratic system first through Benazir Bhutto and Musharraf deal and later compelled to induct Nawaz Sharif into the melodrama being currently staged.

As the protest by the lawyers, judges, students and media gains momentum, it would be difficult for the two major players, Benazir and Sharif to contest elections under emergency powers and with gagged media. In Lahore and other cities of Punjab, the largest province, the protests made Sharif declare boycott of elations. No one is sure as yet who would finally participate in the elections whose legitimacy is under serious doubt.

Coming months would certainly witness rising tide of the protest. And, Musharraf is handicapped by his own incapacity to handle any serious political crisis. There acute lack of political acumen as the past eight years of his rule show. His main opponents, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, are back from their Middle Eastern exile. He can at best take draconian measures. After 43 years in the world of  shine and salute, the general now finds himself plunged into the grimy, muddled world of civilian politics where  his survival is least assured.

Musharraf's fortunes will largely depend on his successor, General Ashfaq Kiyani. A chain-smoking, poker-faced former spy, Kiyani is expected to first focus on rescuing the army's battered reputation. Musharraf's tactics of naked self-preservation have pounded public support for the army and embarrassed its top brass. It has very poor image and is threatened by desertions. As military commander kiyani has to safeguard the institutional reputation and extensive financial interests of the country's top officers. Musharraf the civilian president is also a member of that elite club, but one major difference. He does not wear the uniform. If he needs help like controlling the spiralling unrest and army intervention, the response is no longer guaranteed, the way it was.

The All Parties Democratic Movement finds boycott of general elections on January 16 too tempting and it has placed a pre condition that the government must restore the judiciary to its pre-November 3 status by December 15. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal President Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan, Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Abdul Hayee Baloch, Awami National Party (ANP) Secretary General Haji Ghulam Muhammad Bilour and Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, all agreed on this. Now they would seek support from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto to boycott the elections, another headache for Musharraf. Benazir and Fazlur Rehman do not agree and shall be in the fray.

Still there is good hope for a new narrative. Power politics in Pakistan is taking some definite shape. At one stage lawyers and other enlightened sections of the public forced the general to reinstate the judges and another level forced him and America to allow Sharif and Benazir back home for some kind  of political adjustment. America’s ties with the civilian and military governments have always obstructed the growth of constitutional democracy and rule of law and are that powerful country is forced to act. Somewhere Pakistan has begun its journey towards a constitutional democracy and rule of law. Peaceful movement currently gaining strength is one sure sign.

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