Goodbye Musharraf,
Hello Chaos
By Dr. Ghulam M. Haniff
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Judging by the events in Pakistan
it seems that in a matter of months President
Parvez Musharraf is going to be ousted from power.
Threatening storm clouds have been gathering in
a sign that portends his impending eviction from
the helm of the government. Since his dismissal
of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court opposition
to his rule has markedly escalated. As the deadline
for elections approaches agitation gains momentum
but he is not a man to be easily underestimated.
If his departure does take place, the country
will be plunged into chaos with rising levels
of conflict. Ominous signs of that prospect are
already visible as anti-government forces clash
with supporters of Musharraf. The first blood
of this escalating strife has already been spilled
in the streets of Karachi.
Unfortunately, the dismissed Chief Justice, Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry, has himself become a political
actor in this absurd drama. As a prominent jurist
it would have been prudent for him to stay on
the sidelines away from civil disorder. But it
seems that he has found an opportunity in the
expanding anarchy to elevate himself in the leadership
hierarchy.
The Pakistani media is rife with speculation that
one of the two exiled former prime ministers may
be chosen to lead the nation. For several months
newspapers have headlined that the return of Benazir
Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif is imminent. Almost every
recent issue of The Pakistan Link has carried
pictures and reports on their claim of “coming
back soon.”
The two elected and failed prime ministers continue
to command considerable support among their party
activists. However, many people remember the anarchy
that prevailed, the plunder of the state treasury
and the virtual economic collapse that gripped
the nation. The level of corruption during their
leadership was so high that Transparency International
named Pakistan as the most corrupt nation in the
world. Many millions of dollars siphoned-off still
has not been accounted for to this point.
At the founding of the country Mohammed Ali Jinnah
emphasized that the first task of the nation was
the restoration of “law and order.”
Sixty years later that goal still has not been
achieved, nor has the “rule of law”
become pre-eminent in the nation. If the country’s
legal and judicial institutions were strong there
would be no need for someone like Musharraf to
take over power. It is precisely the absence of
legal norms that made coup d’etat possible.
In the checkered history of Pakistan no leader
has been as successful as Musharraf in pulling
together unruly elements to chart a forward course
for the nation. In the interest of creating an
effective political order he pushed through number
of reforms that has broadened the participation
of the people in the political process.
Unexpectedly thrust into the turbulent political
culture of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf as the Chief
Executive and President quickly developed survival
skills and turned into a shrewd politician. He
has been the most successful of all the military
men who seized power and has truly turned the
nation around for achievements in every field
of human endeavor.
The agitation for his ouster has been orchestrated
by a motley collection of opportunists seeking
to get-in and put their fingers in the till. For
the first time lined up among the ranks of the
agitators are a number of lawyers who undoubtedly
have political ambitions. The dismissal of the
highest judicial officer of the land probably
provided the justification for their activism.
Also arrayed against Pervez Musharraf in a tight
coalition are several religious parties and organizations.
These have been displeased ever since Musharraf
turned against the Taliban and became a proponent
of women’s rights and their inclusion in
the political process. The religious elements
have remained vocal rallying around Muttahida
Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), the opposition coalition
in the National Assembly.
Apparently the “politics of oppositionalism”
appeals to a large number of religious activists
who regularly participate in demonstrations, protest
marches, “wheel-jams” and other forms
of disorderly conduct organized under the leadership
of MMA. The resulting chaos is blamed on the government
in the hope that the targeted leader will resign.
If Musharraf is forced out it will take several
years for the Pakistan to achieve stability. Musharraf
has performed brilliantly in his high-wire balancing
act. He is under enormous pressures from disparate
elements internally and from international actors
externally. He has kept America at an arms length
though Washington is constantly breathing down
his neck. The deals that he has made are all in
the long-term interest of Pakistan.
At the moment Pakistan needs good governance with
policies that will lead to the broadening of the
political power base. The creation of the union
councils, the quotas for women in elective bodies,
privatization and deregulation in the economic
sector, and the emphasis on education are all
designed to hasten the process of democratization
and industrialization.
No doubt Musharraf has made some mistakes. But
those are dwarfed in comparison with the blunders
of his predecessors. When he took over power people
danced in the streets at the deliverance. In the
eight years since then he has done a lot, more
than any other previous leader of the country.
Many more jobs have been created and opportunities
opened up. The economic growth for the last four
years alone has averaged around seven percent
per annum, the third highest in Asia.
It is ironic that even as a military man Pervez
Musharraf has pushed through reforms to transform
the nation into a modern democratic state. The
country enjoys freedom of the press much more
than ever before. It is beginning to attract foreign
investment, and exports have almost doubled during
the past five years. Under the present leadership
the country definitely has turned the corner.
Good governance is what Pakistan needs. No one
has provided that type of leadership since the
demise of the founder of the republic. Musharraf’s
ouster would be a tragedy for Pakistan that needs
providential guidance and visionary outlook for
the future.
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