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| Musharraf is seriously weakened | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, JUNE 1: Gen. Parvez Musharraf has once again established truth and relevance of the adage "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". He appears to have been rattled by a serious of ominous developments in his country. And from the columns of Pakistan's influential newspapers to the streets of its political heartland, the view is growing that his stupid attempt to remove his Chief Justice has left him seriously weakened at home.
Is he close to the exit? This question is presently being hotly discussed not only within Pakistan but also outside that country. Gen. Musharraf managed to keep the support of hius fellow generals for more than seven years. Equally much-debated is the question: Will all these generals back him at a time when the number of his adversaries among the masses has registered an increase in recent times?
Gen. Musharraf says that he saved Pakistan after 9/11. The general, who seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup, has presided over a period of sustained economic growth and relative stability in Pakistan’s turbulent 60-year history. He stands as a secular pragmatist seeking to restore good governance. But his image has taken a battering since his March 9 suspension of the head of the Supreme Court catalyzed street protests against his plans to stay in power--while the government’s reaction has drawn charges of authoritarianism and predictions of spiraling political unrest.
Violence in Karachi on May 12 left more than 40 people dead and Gen. Musharraf fending off accusations that a pro-government party was to blame for the worst of the bloodletting. Some analysts in Pakistan worry that authorities’ failure to prevent that slaughter indicate Gen. Musharraf has decided to confront-- or silence-- his critics rather than compromise. He seems to have missed the reconciliation bus and fallen back on his professional instincts in deciding to fight back with whatever political weapons are left in his arsenal.
As he looks to extend his rule with a new five-year presidential term this fall, Gen. Musharraf could still reach out to secular opposition leaders to shore up his support. There has been talk of reconciliation with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who wants to return from exile in time for year-end parliamentary elections. But as the general’s political star has waned, his stance has toughened. Gen. Musharraf and several of his closest allies have recently issued warnings against criticism of the Army, the main source of his power.
On Thursday (May 31), Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani said it was a matter of extreme concern’ that the armed forces were being abused and defamed’ in the media. Also on Thursday, Ayesha Siddiqa, the author of a new book that has irked the government by examining the Pakistan military’s estimated 10 billion US dollars of economic interests, claimed authorities had tried to obstruct its launch in Islamabad. Despite growing concerns over intimidation of journalists and violent assaults on at least two television networks, the campaign led by lawyers for the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry appears to have given new confidence to Pakistani civil society and struck a chord with a public tired of prolonged military rule.
If the political crisis deepened and a public disenchanted with Gen. Musharraf took to the streets in protest, it could make his position untenable-- making the general a liability even to his key Western backers.
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