All three of Pakistan's political leaders - Nawaz, BB and Altaf are now banished to exile. Where does this leave General Musharraf's political program? In the coming days and weeks there will be a lot of debate about the 'survival' of the present set-up. Lets bring together all these debates under one thread.
--------------------------------------------- http://www.tribuneindia.com/20001211/edit.htm#2
Musharraf's master-stroke
Pakistan's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, as it appears today, has emerged a master tactician. By striking a deal between his government and ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, resulting in presidential clemency for the latter, the self-appointed Chief Executive has weakened the political movement against his regime to the point of rendering it rudderless. Along with Mr Sharif 19 members of his family have reached Saudi Arabia as part of the secret deal, which also has it that the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) supremo will remain out of the political arena for as long as 21 years besides the forfeiture of his property worth $8.3 million to help the Musharraf government in its face-saving exercise. This means that there will be little political pressure on the military ruler now. Mr Sharif's wife Kulsoom, without holding any post in the PML, had not only launched a powerful campaign against military rule but had also joined hands with Ms Benazir Bhutto's PPP and 16 other parties to form a grand alliance named the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy. Of course, the father of the conglomerate of so many political forces was veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, but Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz provided the maximum strength to it. By working relentlessly ever since her husband was overthrown as Prime Minister and put behind bars with a life sentence slapped on him, she had succeeded in creating abundant sympathy for the jailed leader. She had also emerged as a major threat to the government of General Musharraf, who must be feeling relieved after her departure from the Pakistani soil.
By agreeing to live a life of exile Mr Nawaz Sharif may be happy that he has saved himselves from a life in jail. But he has proved to be a weak-hearted person (even if it is finally diagnosed that he has no serious heart problem), who could not bear his difficulties till the coming elections, not very far. He could have secured presidential clemency then too. But there was a big if. He has opted for a less risky course, though he will go down in history as an escapist of the first order. His partymen, who had been suffering all kinds of harassment because of the struggle against army rule at the instance of their jailed leader, must be cursing him for leaving them in the lurch. Reports suggest that there is great resentment among the PML rank and file as Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz consulted nobody in her party before quietly agreeing to fall into the trap laid by General Musharraf. The leaders of the grand alliance forged only the other day too must be feeling let down by the Sharif family at this critical juncture when they seemed to be succeeding in their struggle for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
If all that has happened is a great loss for the pro-democracy movement, it is going to make life easier for the ruling General. He will have all the time with him to give a practical shape to his strange political ideas. He may think of installing an elected regime which may be easily remote-controlled by him when he decides to relinquish power. He has already strengthened his position in the armed forces by making certain key Generals change their places of posting. He has eliminated any threat to his rule, if at all it was there, from the army side. In the absence of political pressure too, General Musharraf may try to concentrate on the implementation of the promises he has been making, which may help him regain the sympathy of the public he had lost during his 14-month rule. To assuage the feelings of the people who might have wished Mr Sharif to suffer in jail and receive the wages of his sins, the General may be more vigorous on his anti-corruption drive and redouble his efforts to restore the health of the economy. All this is, however, a matter of guess. What he has proved is that politicians can never be a match to military men in a war of supremacy, at least in Pakistan.
---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------- http://www.tribuneindia.com/20001211/edit.htm#2
Musharraf's master-stroke
Pakistan's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, as it appears today, has emerged a master tactician. By striking a deal between his government and ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, resulting in presidential clemency for the latter, the self-appointed Chief Executive has weakened the political movement against his regime to the point of rendering it rudderless. Along with Mr Sharif 19 members of his family have reached Saudi Arabia as part of the secret deal, which also has it that the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) supremo will remain out of the political arena for as long as 21 years besides the forfeiture of his property worth $8.3 million to help the Musharraf government in its face-saving exercise. This means that there will be little political pressure on the military ruler now. Mr Sharif's wife Kulsoom, without holding any post in the PML, had not only launched a powerful campaign against military rule but had also joined hands with Ms Benazir Bhutto's PPP and 16 other parties to form a grand alliance named the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy. Of course, the father of the conglomerate of so many political forces was veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, but Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz provided the maximum strength to it. By working relentlessly ever since her husband was overthrown as Prime Minister and put behind bars with a life sentence slapped on him, she had succeeded in creating abundant sympathy for the jailed leader. She had also emerged as a major threat to the government of General Musharraf, who must be feeling relieved after her departure from the Pakistani soil.
By agreeing to live a life of exile Mr Nawaz Sharif may be happy that he has saved himselves from a life in jail. But he has proved to be a weak-hearted person (even if it is finally diagnosed that he has no serious heart problem), who could not bear his difficulties till the coming elections, not very far. He could have secured presidential clemency then too. But there was a big if. He has opted for a less risky course, though he will go down in history as an escapist of the first order. His partymen, who had been suffering all kinds of harassment because of the struggle against army rule at the instance of their jailed leader, must be cursing him for leaving them in the lurch. Reports suggest that there is great resentment among the PML rank and file as Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz consulted nobody in her party before quietly agreeing to fall into the trap laid by General Musharraf. The leaders of the grand alliance forged only the other day too must be feeling let down by the Sharif family at this critical juncture when they seemed to be succeeding in their struggle for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
If all that has happened is a great loss for the pro-democracy movement, it is going to make life easier for the ruling General. He will have all the time with him to give a practical shape to his strange political ideas. He may think of installing an elected regime which may be easily remote-controlled by him when he decides to relinquish power. He has already strengthened his position in the armed forces by making certain key Generals change their places of posting. He has eliminated any threat to his rule, if at all it was there, from the army side. In the absence of political pressure too, General Musharraf may try to concentrate on the implementation of the promises he has been making, which may help him regain the sympathy of the public he had lost during his 14-month rule. To assuage the feelings of the people who might have wished Mr Sharif to suffer in jail and receive the wages of his sins, the General may be more vigorous on his anti-corruption drive and redouble his efforts to restore the health of the economy. All this is, however, a matter of guess. What he has proved is that politicians can never be a match to military men in a war of supremacy, at least in Pakistan.
---------------------------------------------
Comment