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Pakistan in political disarray
Recent events have shown Musharraf's grip over the country is not very strong.
- By Farhan Bokhari, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 April 1, 2007
The latest scathing criticism of General Pervez Musharraf's failure to reverse Pakistan's legacy of militancy ought to shock the country's ruling establishment into action towards tackling the problem.
But if the seven-year track record of the General is any indication, complacency and inaction are more likely to be the driving forces rather than tangible action, which begins by making a fundamental difference.
On Friday, the killing of at least 50 people in crossfire in a remote region along the Afghan border immediately became an opportunity for the military-led establishment to claim success.
The occasion, according to senior Pakistani officials, highlighted the fact that a controversial agreement signed between Musharraf's regime and leaders of tribes in the border region last year, was finally yielding fruit. According to senior officials, Friday's event involved intense fighting between local tribesmen and foreign fighters mainly loyal to Tahir Yuldashev, the notorious fighter from Uzbekistan. In the end, the tribesmen clearly had the upper hand, when they killed up to 40 Uzbek fighters while loosing around 10 of their own.
For the government, this event vindicated last year's agreement signed with the leaders of tribes along the Afghan border. Under that agreement, Musharraf withdrew Pakistani troops after a two-year deployment in return for promises of blocking anyone venturing into Afghanistan to fight alongside militant groups.
Friday's fighting however followed a comprehensive report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) which claimed that Pakistani religious schools are actively training militants and supporting violent groups, while efforts to reform madrassas lie in shambles.
According to the ICG, measures announced by Musharraf against religious schools in 2002 had failed to curb the growth of these outfits, as the government continued tolerating the presence of political parties tied to Islamic ideology. While the government claims there are some 13,000 madrassas across the country, independent analysts insist the number is closer to 20,000.
Eye-opener
The release of the ICG report also coincided with another eye-opening event in Islamabad, where the stand-off between women students of a madrassa and the local police has lasted several months. Last week, the students kidnapped three women on accusations that they were running a brothel.
Rather than refer the matter to the police, these women decided to take the law into their own hands. The matter was resolved only when the kidnapped women were released after the police took four women teachers of the madrassa into custody and offered to exchange them for the captives.
Events in Pakistan have recently demonstrated that Musharraf's government has failed to maintain its writ over the country. The government has also become increasingly prone to taking more and more ill-advised decisions, as illustrated by the recent suspension of the chief justice of the supreme court.
Musharraf's tenure has seen the consistent and increasing marginalisation of the parliament and other political institutions. While the General insists he has overseen the arrival of a better quality democracy than what existed before his rule, the reality is that his tenure has only seen Pakistan's political weakening.
There are no short cuts to political stability. There is only one, simple, tried and tested solution. The first step for Pakistan to improve its outlook must come through the country's return to a more representative democratic rule.
In a year when national elections to the parliament are due, Musharraf's focus should only be on reversing the military-driven politics and overseeing a free and fair political process, leading Pakistan back to civilian rule. A success such as the outcome of the battle on Friday, which was much touted by officials, offers no promise for long-term stability.
Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.
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