Pakistani Supreme Court OKs Musharraf’s Re-Election Bid

The situation in Pakistan, the Real Central Front in the War on Terror, just got a bit more dangerous earlier this morning. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed opposition challenges to the candidacy of General President Parvez Musharraf for re-election while still head of the army. Some segments of the not-yet-united opposition (despite the existence of the All Parties Democratic Movement [APDM]) have cried “foul,” but there is little now standing in the General President’s path to another term in office. Then, the unrest will get serious.

According to the Election Commission, the balloting for president will occur on October 6. Members of the national and provincial legislators compose the electorate. If there were perfect attendance and no spoilt ballot papers, the general’s re-election would be a low-risk proposition. Since the main opposition alliance has announced boycotts starting on October 2 (and in some cases resignations from office), all doubt is gone.

If or when re-elected, General President Musharraf has vowed to turn civilian and resign his commission by November 15. Were he to do so, he would lose direct control over the most powerful (perhaps only national) institution in the country. He has broken promises before, however. Former PM Benazir Bhutto (whose Pakistan People’s Party is not part of the APDM) is scheduled to return to the country from exile on October 18, and her arrival might just be the pretext he needs to remain at the head of the armed forces.

The opposition is not going to take this lying down, whether he turns civilian or not. One such example is Farid Piracha, a lawmaker from Pakistan biggest religious party Jamaat-e-Islami (the nation’s oldest religious party that says on its website, “We have to convince the people that a ‘Bloody Revolution’ is a path leading to destruction and the ‘Islamic Revolution’ is the path ensuring true change and deliverance). Mr. Piracha told the press shortly after the judges’ announced their decision, “Now our fight against dictatorship will be on the streets ... This decision does not reflect the sentiments of the people, and it will not be accepted.”

Street fights in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore combined with violence in the mountains of Pakistan are not in anyone’s interest. Yet, the whole thing now takes on a sense of inevitability. There will be violence, the presidency will remain in the hands of the same man who overthrew a civilian government in 1999, and the army will answer to that same man still. What was it about reaping the whirlwind?

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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