Pakistani Power Play

Posted on September 16th, 2007 Anand No comments  Print This Post

The BBC reports that Benazir Bhutto expects to have the people of Pakistan “rally around” her upon her return from self-imposed exile, and if the welcome reception for Nawaz Sharif is anything to go by, that may be a safe assumption. But aside from vocal crowds and sporadic violence that greeted the event, Sharif’s return quickly turned anti-climactic. Sharif was offered two options: return to exile, or face arrest on the charges of corruption that were leveled against him at the time of the coup d’etat that removed him from power and established the rule of army chief Pervez Musharraf. Sharif opted for the former and was quickly shipped off to Saudi Arabia, thus defusing any political threat he posed to Musharraf. The question that remains to be answered is if the rallying Pakistani people can save Bhutto from the fate of her former nemesis. More importantly, where does this leave the state of the beleaguered Pakistani people and democratic rights in the nation?

Commenting on the power-sharing discussions between Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the government, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani had stated that the proceedings were a “dialogue, not a deal.” Euphemisms aside, with these discussions, Bhutto had attempted to create some deal of certainty for her political aspirations. The main point on the PPP’s agenda was ensuring that Bhutto is allowed to contest in the coming elections (currently impossible under the two-term restriction), while pressing Musharraf to abandon his military position while seeking re-election. However, talks broke down between the two parties recently. The Pakistani government has agreed to allow Bhutto back into the country, but insisted that she would have to face charges of corruption in a court of law. Bhutto dismisses the charges and is confident that her political fate remains secure despite these allegations. How things play out upon her return is open to any amount of speculation.

On the whole, these events paint a disturbing picture. The people of Pakistan have three players to consider. Firstly, an embattled president who’s legitimacy has always been in question. He faces the Supreme Court verdict on his appeal to stand for re-election. Further, his allegiance to the United States’ strategic interests has drawn considerable domestic criticism, and recent civil society mobilizations have further undermined his popularity at home. Also, his US allies are putting him under pressure to deal with Al-Qaeda in the region. The second contender, Sharif, refused to negotiate with Musharraf, terming his fight against Musharraf’s military rule as part of a struggle for democratic rights in Pakistan. Even if he successfully returns to Pakistan’s political stage, his own record on democracy and corruption remains dubious. Constitutional amendments he made during the Nineties were considered autocratic, and are echoed now by Musharraf’s own actions. Benazir Bhutto’s negotiations with Musharraf, while highly pragmatic, undermine her democratic credentials in a nation whose population has been growing increasingly agitated by the actions of her would-be ally, General Musharraf. Despite her denials, suspicions about corruption during her rule remain. Faced with three political contenders with murky pasts and uncertain futures (assuming that Musharraf even allows free and fair elections to take place), it is the Pakistani people who remain the victims of injustice, unrest, and threats to their democratic rights.