That George W. Bush telephoned President Pervez Musharraf on Friday night to congratulate him on assumption of office as head of the state for a second term proves that when it comes to supporting an ally in its illegal wars, Washington does not bother about freedom and human rights.
Some months ago, the Americans – self-styled champion of world liberty – were shouting from rooftops that Myanmar was murdering democracy. The rules of the game have suddenly changed. Ideally, the Bush administration should have declared Musharraf’s presidency illegal because it was not given legitimacy by an independent judiciary. Musharraf paved his way to the Aiwan-e-Sadr by firing chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other self-respecting judges, gagging independent TV channels and imposing draconian rules. Since then, Musharraf has been using every public forum to make people believe that Chaudhry was trying to derail the process of transition to democracy, procrastinating the issue of the president’s uniform and insulting the executive. The sacked judges were either put under house arrest or told to shut up. All efforts were made to ensure that their viewpoint remains unheard. Under these circumstances, how can the president of United States congratulate Musharraf is beyond comprehension.
After overstaying his welcome, Musharraf, under a heavy pressure from donors, introduced sham democracy by providing a platform to a bunch of political orphans in the absence of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto from the political scene. Musharraf sought votes for the regional leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (Q). The king’s party had all the apples of the president’s eyes. It seems ridiculous now to see Musharraf claiming that he, as a civilian president, would not support any party and that all parties would be given a level-playing field in the elections. He cannot disappoint those who, by hook or by crook, made sure that the president’s plans were implemented in the last eight years.
The debate as to whether the parties should boycott the polls has become hot after Bhutto released her Pakistan Peoples Party’s election manifesto. Sudden political over-enthusiasm being shown by the Benazir camp and Musharraf’s ally the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) after a recent visit by John Negroponte to Islamabad and the fast changing scenario strengthen people’s doubts that work is on to form an “American dream team” to run Pakistan in future.
But one hopes both the PPP and the MQM are mature enough to understand that under Musharraf, parliament would be nothing more than a rubber stamp or a decoration piece. The last “democratically-elected” House was mere eyewash to show the West that democracy was breathing. The House was never informed or consulted or taken into confidence before the government took major decisions, which shook the country. Parliamentarians had no role in ordering or stopping the deadly air raids in Waziristan, the vile blitz on the Lal Masjid and the crackdown on lawyers and mediamen. Pro-Musharraf MPs changed the country’s constitution so many times to make things easy for sadr-e-mumlikat that the original constitution is now beyond recognition.
Imran Khan, the Nawaz group and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal have taken a right decision to stay away from the January 8 elections. By doing this they can at least avoid giving the poll process legitimacy. Who knows, Musharraf might postpone the polls in the wake of a complete boycott in spite of his rant “come hell or high water, they will be held on time.”
Musharraf’s surrender of his army post does not mark the end of the military’s interference in politics. Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani will have every move sanctioned by his mentor. Perhaps they don’t know that professional soldiers do not compromise their effectiveness by meddling in government.
Musharraf has taken so many U turns to keep head above the water that nothing he says can be believed now. He fooled some people for some time, but he can’t fool all the people all the time.
[The writer can be reached at [email protected]]