Strange; the Bush Administration in its support of Pervez Musarraf
stands in the way of a Pakistan that is more centrist and democratic.
#--------------------------------------------
A New Pakistan
Agreement on a more democratic system is close, but Pervez Musharraf
must let it happen.
Sunday, March 16, 2008; Page B06
PAKISTAN IS on the verge of taking a major step toward consolidating a
centrist, secular democracy -- the best antidote to the Islamist
extremism threatening the country. The crucial remaining question is
whether President Pervez Musharraf
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Pervez+Musharraf?tid=informline>,
and his allies in the Bush administration, will allow it to happen.
The potential breakthrough comes in the agreement of the two largest
political parties, the Pakistan People's Party
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Pakistan+Peoples+Party?tid=informline>
and the Muslim League, to form a coalition government that will hold a
commanding majority in the Parliament elected last month. People's Party
leader Asif Ali Zadari, the widower of assassinated former prime
minister Benazir Bhutto
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Benazir+Bhutto?tid=informline>,
and Muslim League chief Nawaz Sharif
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Nawaz+Sharif?tid=informline>,
also a former prime minister, agreed to implement a Charter for
Democracy that Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Sharif hammered out in 2006 while they
were living in exile. They plan to reform the constitution to eliminate
autocratic powers accumulated by Mr. Musharraf following his 1999 coup
against a democratic government, including the right to name commanders
of the armed forces.
Even more important, the new government plans to restore the 63 senior
judges -- including members of the Supreme Court -- illegally fired by
Mr. Musharraf in November in a second coup intended to ensure himself
another term as president. The defense of the dismissed judges, some of
whom are still under house arrest, and the larger cause of building a
genuinely independent judiciary have become the country's most popular
political movement. When they are restored to the bench and controls
imposed by Mr. Musharraf on the media are removed, Pakistan
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Pakistan?tid=informline>
could have the most liberal and open political system in its history.
That is the long-term solution to the assault on the country by the
Taliban
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/The+Taliban?tid=informline>,
al-Qaeda
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Al+Qaeda?tid=informline>
and other Islamist fanatics, who so far this year have carried out 16
suicide bombings and killed more than 500 people -- making Pakistan
almost as violent as Iraq
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Iraq?tid=informline>.
The last obstacle is Mr. Musharraf himself, who has clung to the office
of president despite the overwhelming repudiation of his party in last
month's elections. Retired from the Army, Mr. Musharraf has one last
base of support is the Bush administration, which stubbornly continues
to back him. Fearful of what a restored Supreme Court might rule about
his clearly illegitimate presidential mandate, the president is still
trying to strike a deal to remain in office. If he doesn't get his way,
he could refuse to recognize Parliament's authority or try to dissolve
it after it convenes this week.
In short, only the personal ambitions of Mr. Musharraf, and the Bush
administration's support for them, threaten to disrupt the establishment
of a more democratic Pakistan. President Bush
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/George+W.+Bush?tid=informline>,
who claims to believe that the replacement of autocrats with secular
democratic governments is a key U.S. interest, should act on his own
principle. He should tell Mr. Musharraf either to accept the decisions
of the new government and courts, or step down.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/15/AR2008031502029.html?wpisrc=newsletter
or
http://tinyurl.com/3bj5kl
#-----------------------------------------
Regards,
LelandJ
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