Pakistan: Emergency Rule to End December 16th

Posted on November 29th, 2007 Evan B. Smith No comments  Print This Post

Pakistan Update: Mere ours after being sworn in this morning to a second five-year term, President Musharraf announced that the state of emergency would be lifted on December 16th.  As reported by the New York Times:

If he goes ahead with the move, it could be an important step in Pakistan’s recent tumultuous politics, which has seen the president impose emergency rule on Nov. 3, suspending the Constitution, dismissing the Supreme Court and arresting thousands of opponents.

An important step, yes, but in which direction?  The ability of a (man formerly known as a) military dictator to suspend the rule of law, arrest the opposition (but not move against the real security threat), black out the independent media, and then end it on his own terms with no tangible consequences shouldn’t be viewed as a positive development for Pakistani politics.

As a testament to his sincerity of purpose, however, Musharraf was moved to tears by his own speech in which he pronounced: “Right now, I think the dust is settling down and everything is under control,” at the same time warning the assembled international diplomats and press:

It is indeed a historic day and an emotional day for me. This is a milestone in the transition of Pakistan to the complete essence of democracy.

Elections alone do not mean democracy… We want democracy, we want human rights, we want civil liberties but we will do it our own way.

Reject representative rule and then castigate the international community for preventing Pakistan from finding its own way to democracy?  He needs to take a look at the streets, where lawyers are still protesting, being beaten and jailed for supporting a different vision of democracy, one in which dissenting views are allowed.  

I have a feeling that Musharraf’s idea of “Pakistani democracy” looks a lot like Putin’s.