Thursday, August 07, 2008

A crisis that needs an early settlement

Aug.7, 2008


A crisis that needs an early settlement



THE AGREEMENT in principle between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif to impeach President Pervez Musharraf takes the country's political crisis to the verge of solution.
However, Musharraf is trying to play it cool. Early on Wednesday, a foreign ministry spokesman said that Musharraf had cancelled plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing. The spokesman did not give the reason but it was assumed that the former military ruler had cancelled his scheduled departure amid fears that he could be impeached.
A few hours later, a presidential aide that Musharraf would indeed travel to the Beijing Olympics and also meet the Chinese leadership and heads of state.
Although whether Musharraf travels outside the country or stays back is not the central issue here, the former general would definitely be reminded that it was during one of then prime minister Sharif's travels outside that he had grabbed power and imposed military rule in the country.
It was speculated after the parliamentary elections that saw a democratically elected government assuming power in the country early this year that it was only a matter of time the ruling PPP-PML-N alliance would move to oust Musharraf from power. However, Musharraf appeared to have played a game of his own and pulled the right strings at the right time so that Zardari and Sharif could not agree on how to deal with him until now. They also disagreed on the issue of reinstating judges sacked by Musharraf under emergency rule in November. Now they seem to have agreed that reinstating the sacked judges could be done easily done they succeeded in getting rid of Musharraf.
Sharif wanted the judges restored quickly, possibly through an executive order from the prime minister while Zardari tried to link their return to a package of constitutional reforms.
Reports say the two have now agreed to formally ask Musharraf to step down and to move to impeach him if he doesn't do so.
No doubt aware that he could even be put on trial after being ousted from power, Musharraf could be expected to put up a bitter fight against any move to impeach him.
It is difficult to see how he could effectively ward off the mounting pressure, particularly in view of signs that most members of the ruling coalition agree that he should step down.
The course of events could take any turn. However, Pakistan could ill-afford a protracted political crisis given that the functioning of the government is hampered, economic problems are mounting and militancy is getting out of hand in the border areas. All those involved with any sense of responsibility towards the people should move to put an end to the crisis once and for all so that they could turn their attention to the pressing economic problems and the threat of militancy that could plunge the country into total chaos.