People's power in Pakistan
ORDINARILY one connects Pakistan's politics with military coups. But this time what occurred in Pakistan on March 16 was, for the first time, a successful manifestation of people's power to restore democracy and rule of law. This is a great victory for the people, signaling detribalisation and secularisation of politics in Pakistan.
Although President Zardari signed a deal with Nawaz Sharif to form a coalition government with a promise to restore the top judge of Pakistan's apex court, Iftikhar Chaudhrysacked a second time by former president Pervez Musharraf in November 2007 -- he failed to keep his promise.
Sharif's party withdrew from the government last August because of that failure to keep the promise. One reason for Zardari's reluctance to reinstate all of them is thought to be the fact that Justice Chaudhry had challenged the amnesty given by Gen. Musharraf that enabled Zardari to return to Pakistan. If the amnesty was overturned, Zardari could be left exposed to corruption charges.
The country plunged into greater instability when thousands of Sharif's supporters came out on the streets across the country after the pliant Supreme Court banned Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from holding any political position because of previous criminal convictionsa rule that could apply just as well to Zardari himself.
There is a strong perception that the Zardari's government has convinced the Supreme Court (constituted under Provisional Constitutional Order by Musharraf on November 3, 2007 after sacking of the chief justice and other judges of the Supreme Court) to rule against Nawaz Sharif.
Political observers believe that Zardari's failure to restore the top judge has galvanised not only the opposition parties but also the lawyers and civil society throughout the country. Nawaz Sharif saw it as a great moment to call a "Long March" to Islambad on March 13. Nawaz Sharif's demand for restoration of the judges and democracy has turned into the people's demands.
Sharif showed his guts by coming out of his house (where he was put on house arrest) in Lahore to lead the march. The police were silent spectators, given the size and determination of the civilian protesters, including women.
On March 16, Prime Minister Raza Yusuf Gilani, in a national TV address, accepted the demands of Nawaz Sharif, who then called off the long march.
The BBC correspondent said that everyone, including Pakistan's Western supporters, heaved a sigh of relief that a dangerous political confrontation appeared to have been defused peacefully.
The West wants Pakistan to focus on the battle against the Taliban on the Afghan border.
On March 15 and 16, fresh evidence of the militant insurgency took place with attacks on container terminals near Peshawar in the north-west. The terminals supply Nato and US troops in Afghanistan.
Zardari conceded to Nawaz Sharif's demands because:
- Obama's administration has been willing to deal with Nawaz Sharif, unlike the Bush administration. Richard Holbrooke, presidential special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, reportedly met Sharif last month. To the US, Sharif could be a useful partner as Washington tries to talk to what it considered reconcilable elements in the Taliban. Therefore, there was huge pressure on Zardari from Washington to concede to Sharif's demands.
- The powerful army played a key role in defusing the crisis. Its chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, let Zardari know that he could not rely on the army to confront civilian protesters. General Kayani teamed up with Prime Minister Gilani and reportedly met Zardari to advise him to defuse the political upheaval.
- Sharif understood the pulse of the nation and he exploited fully the undemocratic conduct of President Zardari. He has reinvented himself, symbolising democracy and rule of law.
- There is a widespread belief that the people's active involvement is imperative to fight against extremists and the Talibans, and that the representative government and civil society need to be reinforced in Pakistan. Accordingly, Zardari's plan to corner Sharif politically went awry.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments