President Musharraf’s political future is in jeopardy. There are multiple reasons for that. All are of his own making though.Why should he seek it out after playing that long an inning is the question that may intrigue many minds. 

However, more than Musharraf himself his cronies want him continue in presidency so that their own possible role in new dispensation is ensured. Mr Musharraf, even though may not like the role in which he does not figure as much prominently as before, will have to live with a new reality obligingly.

Considering himself to be the only saviour of the country, ludicrous but typical at the same time to any dictator of his kind, he might find himself in a long haul to deal with new political realities. In the long run he is bound to come out scathed and bitter in hyper-political atmosphere of the country. Free, frank loud and candid criticism of political opponents, which is the bane of any political culture, may prove too unpalatable to an erstwhile dictator’s sensibilities.

Pakistan’s history is replete with such examples when a dictator failed to adjust to new political atmosphere and acted grossly against the interests of the country: human frailties of leaders often lead nations to losses of unfathomable magnitudes.

Huge shift in the centre of gravity of political authority from president to the prime minister in Pakistan comes as a shocker and poses a challenge to the dictator who inevitably fails to come to terms with transformed political realities.

This, in fact, is the most tangible threat to Pakistan’s democracy. We always have a brief tryst with democracy followed by yet another authoritarian intervention from some military dictator. The erstwhile stooges of a dictator do not feel comfortable with the politics of the masses, and are disadvantaged by political processes.

They invariably conspire with undemocratic forces and roll back the whole set up to bring back their old glory. There always are enough reasons to act against the budding democracy and roll back the political dispensation. This vicious circle has continued unabated.

To save democracy in Pakistan we need to break this vicious circle. There are challenges to Mr. Musharraf’s presidency that he can face, albeit at the cost of political harmony and country’s stability. People of Pakistan have spoken and by defeating the king’s party that had elected him in haste last October, they have asked Mr Musharraf to vacate the president house that he had occupied by force illegally.

The parties forming the government had never accepted President Musharraf’s elections by a dying parliamentary college that itself was the product of previously rigged elections and massive horse-trading. To get himself elected he had made the mockery of Pakistan’s judicial system.

He imposed an extra constitutional emergency only to block the hearing of a petition in the Supreme Court against his candidacy in army uniform. Mr. Musharraf knew that an independent Supreme Court under Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary would never agree to any of his unconstitutional and illegal acts.

Currently, the legal community is at loggerhead with the government for the restora-tion of about 50 judges of the supreme courts and the provincial high courts who had been sacked by Mr. Musharraf for not taking the oath under the PCO. Mr. Musharraf has thrown Pakistan into a deep constitutional and legal crisis.

Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary as well as 99 percent of Pakistan’s legal community along with its civil society have publicly denounced PCO and declared that no individual can amend the constitution of Pakistan.More than any other political challenges Mr. Musharraf has a legal battle ahead that challenges his status as president. The legal community has already planned a march on Islamabad. They are not going to agree on anything less than the restoration of the pre Nov. 3 judiciary. Moreover, the restoration essentially means supremacy of the rule of law in which his post Nov. 3 addicts will not hold 
water.

He is already facing a consistent ridicule all across the country and people are beginning to question his integrity and sincerity of purpose in his acts of omissions and commission. The thin line, whether they were for the perpetuation of self-rule or for national interests, is acutely blurred. President’s political fortunes have exhausted and his legal and constitutional reservoir is drying up fast.

All winning parties want to clip presidency of its sweeping powers. They want the presidency to act on the advice of the Prime Minister quite in line with Pakistan’s parliamentary democracy.

After sometime, Mr. Musharraf may himself find presidency very unpalatable if, unlike his previous stints as an absolute ruler, he will have to act on the advice of the Prime Minister; if he does not have the present authority to sack the Prime Minister, dissolve the parliament and choose the heads of the armed forces. A big political charge is on the horizon.

Fortunately, all the positive political forces now have displayed unity of purpose and clarity of perception regarding their political, legal and constitutional objectives. Mr. Musharraf needs to work on an exit strategy. Pakistan needs his graceful exit, to save the country of dangerous polarization:  constitutional anarchy and political disorientation.

Information

 Considering himself to be the only saviour of the country, ludicrous but typical at the same time to any dictator of his kind, he might find himself in a long haul to deal with new political realities. In the long run he is bound to come out scathed and bitter in hyper-political atmosphere of the country. Free, frank loud and candid criticism of political opponents, which is the bane of any political culture, may prove too unpalatable to an erstwhile dictator’s sensibilities.



  Published on October 14, 2008