*Updated on 19 August. See Below.
A top ruling party official on Saturday gave Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a two-day deadline to quit or face impeachment proceedings. Musharraf's allies insisted he was not stepping down and was prepared to fight impeachment charges. But pressure on the president mounted further after the ruling party drew up a draft of charges to support a potential impeachment. The building momentum to throw the president out of office has injected even more uncertainty into an already volatile situation in Pakistan, a country whose stability the U.S. considers critical to success in the war on terror.
Musharraf dominated Pakistan for years after seizing power in a 1999 military coup, making the country a key strategic ally of the U.S. by supporting its fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida. But his popularity at home has been dwindling. Many Pakistanis blame rising violence in their country on his alliance with the United States. Musharraf's popularity sunk to new lows in 2007 when he ousted judges and imposed emergency rule. Then his rivals came to power after February parliamentary elections, largely sidelining him. The United States has said publicly the impeachment debate is an internal matter and Pakistan's army, which Musharraf formerly headed, has also remained neutral. There is no precedent for impeaching a president in Pakistan's turbulent 61-year history. Under the constitution, a president can be impeached for violating the constitution or "gross misconduct." Coalition officials have said Musharraf's removal of judges and imposition of emergency rule last year could be cause for impeachment.
Coalition officials said Saturday they have completed a draft of the impeachment charges but it still needs approval from the party leaders. On Friday, allies and rivals of the president confirmed back-channel talks are under way to avoid an impeachment process that could further destabilize Pakistan. Musharraf's supporters want protections for him if he steps down, while suggesting they could use the courts to challenge an impeachment. Tariq Azim, a senior member of the main pro-Musharraf party, insisted Saturday the president won't quit. On Friday, Mushahid Hussain, another Musharraf ally, said the president may turn to the courts to forestall an impeachment. But Raza Rabbani, a member of the Pakistan People's Party, warned Musharraf this matter will not be decided in the courts. Whether Musharraf decides to quit could depend on what his rivals are willing to offer — particularly whether they will give him immunity from prosecution and let him stay in the country. But the ruling coalition appears divided on those questions. Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — whom Musharraf ousted in the 1999 coup — insisted immunity was out of the question. Sharif's party is the second-largest in the coalition, and it has said Musharraf should be tried for treason, which carries a maximum punishment of death.
The PPP has taken a softer tone. Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Saturday that the party "never indulges in the politics of revenge as it wants a stable Pakistan and a sustainable democracy in the country." If Musharraf quits, whether he could safely stay in Pakistan is an open question. He is despised by Islamist militants and has already been the target of multiple assassination attempts. Azim, however, said no matter what, Musharraf wants to stay in Pakistan. [End of report]
It is an interesting situation there in Pakistan. I think everyone knows that Musharraf is not the most popular guy in the country right now and it is no surprise to see why they want to see Musharraf out of power. Pakistan is an important ally for the U.S. in the war against terror but Im not sure if Musharraf has done a good job since he took over as the Prime Minister of the country. There are still a lot of elements of extremist in the country, in particular those of Taliban and al-Qaeda and I am sure they are dying to see Musharraf gone because of his close relationship with the U.S. Nevertheless, even if he is gone, I think anyone who is going to replace him is going to be the number one target for those terrorist group and they will still have to work closely together with the U.S. if they want to remove the threat, whether they like it or not. Therefore, I dont see much difference that is going to happen if Musharraf decides to step down or if he faces the impeachment process. If the impeachment process does go through, then I think it would be the end for him because currently, he is lacking of support even from those who have been supporting him earlier.
The best thing for him to do right now in my opinion is for him to step down and not make things worse for him and the country. But before he does that, he should try and gain something and that would be the immunity against prosecution. A senior official from the late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said the coalition was prepared to hand Musharraf a deal. He can get whatever he wants as long as he resign. I think this is the best thing that he could ever hope for right now. Nevertheless, knowing the kind of man Musharraf is, I doubt he will listen to the demands of the coalition to step down. Just last weekend during a rare televised address on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of Pakistan's independence, Musharraf betrayed no intent to resign. Instead he urged a return to "political stability" through an approach of "reconciliation, not confrontation." He has even appointed a lawyer to act as his lead counsel should he be impeached. I have just heard today that he would be making an address to the nation later today. I dont know what he is going to say but his spokesman has deny rumours that he is ready to step down. I guess we will just have to wait and see what he has in mind.
I'm not a big fan of Musharraf. Yes, he is close to the U.S. but I think he appears to be weak sometimes in dealing with the threat of terrorism in the country. At the same time, I dont think the country is in a better shape after he took over. The economy is approaching a meltdown, with inflation at 25% and the rupee falling to a record low against the dollar. There is also concern that the longer the controversy over Musharraf's fate goes on, the greater distraction it will prove from the challenges of Islamist militancy which is not just bad for the country, but for its allies as well and in the war against terror. Whatever happens in the next few months or so will be interesting to see Im sure.
*The report was taken from Associated Press.
President Musharraf has announced his resignation yesterday in an address to the nation. I didnt expect him to do that but at the same time, the news wasnt surprising. It is not clear whether he has gain anything from his resignation. So we will just have to wait and see.
No comments:
Post a Comment