Musharraf: The End
Last March, just after the appointment of a new Prime Minister in Pakistan, I wrote: "So where does this leave Musharraf? On his own, and virtually powerless. Was this the game plan all along? Who insisted he must hang up his army uniform? Who also insisted that he must go ahead with promised parliamentary elections, even after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto? Did his friends in Washington and London know that this is how it would end up?
"The fervent hope in Whitehall now seems to be that he will fade gently into the night. A retirement home already awaits him, I'm told, and he's being encouraged to accept the end of his political career with as much dignity as he can muster."
Which is what he has now done. His time was clearly up, but Pakistan's problems remain. It has a barely functioning coalition government, in which the two main partners share little more than a hatred of Musharraf. Now, I suspect, their hatred of each other will once again take centre stage.
But they have other, rather more important work to do. There is growing instability along the border with Afghanistan, where both the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and Washington are increasingly convinced that Taliban fighters are holed up.
Ever since September 2001, Musharraf was Washington's man. Now that he's gone, there's going to have to be some rapid bridge-building with Pakistan's new leaders, especially Nawaz Sharif, who has little love for Washington.
Pakistan's previous experience of civilian governments has been no happier than its experience of military ones. Neither Nawaz Sharif nor Benazir Bhutto's widower, Asif Zardari, inspire huge confidence in the West, both having been tainted by corruption allegations in the past.
But the government they formed was the result of remarkably free elections held in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir. Pakistan can now claim to be a democracy again, if an imperfect one. Whether that translates into tangible benefits for the people -- and for the region -- is now the over-riding question.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~39~RS~)
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Contrary to the usual media refrains, Musharref has always seemed to me to be one of Pakistan's most personally honorable people- and remains so.
Washington has, as usual, fouled things up, and little good can be expected for Pakistan, at least under the presently expiring administration in the USA.
In Pakistani history, one sees frequent military administrations. What conditions provoked this? Do those conditions persist? Is another military administration therefore likely?
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Xie-Ming
You might like to take a look at Boris Wilke : "State-Formation and the Military in Pakistan".
It's on the web as a pdf document, so I can't post the link.
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Robin, you write that - Musharraf was "Washington's man"
"Washington's man" must be the most dreaded sobriquet for any leader - It is (unfortunately) associated with the Judas kiss (of death, or of at least premature retirement.) In this World of one super power it really shows the limitation of the 'super-ness'.
No country with at least some from of democracy likes to feel that it has elected the agent of a foreign power as its leader and despite all of it democratic shortcomings Pakistan is reasonably democratic by the standards of the World. (Even the periods of military rule have ended quietly.) (Ex) President Musharraf, to his credit, allowed himself to be voted out of power.
The gigantic problem of the talibanisation of the northwest territories that resulted from CIA inspired promotion of insurgents against Russian dominance of Afghanistan remains. I can only see development and
spreading of education as a solution to this problem as the physical geography prevents any form of successful military solution. Above all what we must not see is another of Pakistan's leaders being called "Washington's man" - they must be Pakistan's man or woman.
Even calling someone "Washington's man" in the USA is just as problematic!
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Xie_Ming 'Contrary to the usual media refrains, Musharref has always seemed to me to be one of Pakistan's most personally honorable people- and remains so.'
A comment i believe most whole heartedly agree with even among the media, the dichotomy To speak plainly arises out of the west’s need to give the Taliban a voice in ordered politics, I do not consider this to be something that Musarref was unaware of when the Judges were removed from office regardless the current situation can only be seen as an effective stride towards democracy.
John from Hendon Wrote: "Washington man" 'No country with at least some from of democracy likes to feel that it has elected the agent of a foreign power as its leader and despite all of it democratic shortcomings Pakistan is reasonably democratic'
True Pakistan is democratic one can only hope Pakistan can balance the feudal rules on its borders with those of its western allies in these times when Georgia could fall it is apparent that democracy from the perspective of any country is about both the balance of internal powers but also external influence.
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I personally think based on what I have read and have heard, the assasination of Benazir Bhutto and free aftermath election was all part of the game. Now whose game was it or who planned it no one can surely tell. Mr.Musharrafs Resigning after a short period and Mr.Asif Zardari elected as Prime minister in such unbalanced conditions of a country makes a citizen into a mysterious doubt. The internal affairs of Pakistan are demolished, bombings , terroism has become common now. Blamming America or being against or with them does not really effect citizens of Pakistan. All they care is that the country should be stable now and there should be absolute calm environment all over. Government has always been corrupt and will remain corrupt, now its all on citizens of Pakistan to build themselves on to a stage where they can start changing the country. If I was given a chance to become a Prime minister of President of Pakistan I would exactly do the same as our current leaders are doing, because its so unfair to leave all the country's burden and handling over such unbalanced country to a newbie. Its citizens who are responsible for the country.
PEACE
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