Sharif is new face of defiance

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf once promised to cleanse his country's politics of its legacy from yesteryears. But, given his apparent penchant for retaining power at all costs, the General has turned out to be a huge disappointment for friends and foes alike.

In sharp contrast to his promises delivered in his first speech after the bloodless coup of 1999, the General comes across today as being as power hungry as any other political player. In the latest twist to his sorry saga, Musharraf has reached out to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, offering some political space to her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in return for her support for his fledgling regime.

At the same time, he has reassured politicians in the present ruling order - under the banner of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) or PML-Q - promising to keep them in power under a new set-up.

If the General would have pressed for such a dispensation five years ago, maybe there was a chance that this unnatural experiment could fly for a while. But in today's Pakistan, the realities are different. Musharraf remains beleaguered in view of the opposition he faces from an array of politicians. More importantly, he is under pressure from other key players such as the re-energised supreme court.

Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, the chief justice of the supreme court who was suspended in March this year on vague charges of misconduct, has made a stunning comeback. A supreme court under Chaudhry's command will be less amenable than others in the past when dealing with matters such as allowing Musharraf to indefinitely retain his post as chief of army staff, while also being re-elected as president for another five years. Consequently, the General's retirement from his military position in the not-too-distant future is almost a foregone conclusion.

Musharraf is also unpopular on the streets of Pakistan. The campaign in support of Chaudhry's restoration saw different elements of civil society such as lawyers, activists and intellectuals increasingly banding together under popular slogan "Go Musharraf Go".

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Additionally, public scepticism from Musharraf's friends in the United States, questioning his ability to clean up Pakistan's tribal areas, has not helped lift his credentials. Unlike the initial years of his relationship with the administration of US President George W. Bush, officials from Washington in recent months have publicly promised to go after high profile Al Qaida targets within Pakistani territory in case there was verifiable intelligence information. This of course completely disregards Pakistan's sovereignty.

Last but not the least, the General's oft-repeated claim of having overseen a dramatic shift in Pakistan's economic outlook through the successful pursuit of his policies now widely falls on deaf ears in Pakistan. There are too many sceptics who constantly punch holes in the economic success story. Indeed, in a country where at least 40 million people live below the poverty line, the economic success line must have limits.

Whether he wins another five-year term or not, Musharraf simply does not matter for the future of Pakistan. There are too many voices of scepticism surrounding his rule.

Add to that, the decision by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to return home from exile on September 10, in spite of official threats that he will be arrested or indeed sent onwards into exile to Saudi Arabia.

Sharif, replaced by Musharraf in a bloodless coup in 1999, is fast emerging as the new face of anti-government defiance in Pakistan. The former prime minister is certain to energise new voices of dissent against the government, irrespective of how he is treated when he lands on Pakistani soil.

Musharraf has few choices. Some believe, and with good reason, his exit from Pakistani politics may be the only way to return political calm to the country. But even if he succeeds in hanging on to power, the General's best option lies in accepting that the days of his military dominated rule may be almost over. The growing calls by Pakistanis for a more democratic atmosphere cannot be ignored, especially as the ongoing political slide rapidly gathers further momentum.

Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.