Pakistan: Will the new government impeach Musharraf?

Our election last week was essentially a referendum on the rule of President Pervez Musharraf—and he lost, said Nadeem Syed in the Islamabad’s The Nation. Musharraf himself was not up for office, of course, as it was a parliamentary election. But the parties that supported him lost overwhelmingly, while the two that opposed him most strongly—the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N—won the most votes. Already, People’s Party chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif are “making ominous moves against Musharraf.” Their decision to form a coalition government was “a serious blow” to Musharraf—one obviously “meant to further isolate him.” And they both have called for Musharraf to resign.

Musharraf has just one friend left: America, said The Nation in an editorial. “One should have thought that, as proponents of democracy, the Western countries would let the process set in motion by the elections proceed to its logical conclusion without any pressure or interference.” Instead, the U.S. is “blinded” by its concern about terrorism. Musharraf only recently agreed to let Pentagon drones strike at targets on Pakistani soil. The U.S. now fears that if Musharraf leaves office, this “secret deal might be in jeopardy.” That’s why, ever since the election, a slew of State Depart­ment officials right up to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been repeating their desire to “work with both” the new prime minister, whoever he will be, and the old president, Musharraf. But the Americans should realize that interfering in Pakistan’s democratic affairs would only increase the people’s “hatred” of America and “create further hurdles in the war on terror.” If the new parliament decides to impeach Musharraf, the U.S. will have to just sit back and accept it.

Impeachment is unlikely, said Kamal Siddiqi in the Islamabad News International. Musharraf “may have gone into the background for the moment,” but “this should not be mistaken for weakness.” Neither of the main opposition parties has an absolute majority in parliament. If Musharraf can persuade just one party to abstain from an impeachment vote, it will fail—as it should. Pakistan has had enough turmoil. “What we need to avoid now is another political confrontation.”

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That’s easier said than done, said the Karachi Dawn. Pakistan typically can sustain a democratically elected government for only a few years before the military declares the exercise a failure and takes over. From 1988 to 1999, for example, we had four elected governments. “None of them was able to complete its term because of the squabbles among the politicians.” Finally, in 1999, Musharraf took over from Sharif, and we’ve had military rule ever since. This current attempt at democracy will prove different only if Zardari and Sharif can put aside their egos and get along for the good of the country. “All one hopes is that the politicians have learned their lessons.”