Enduring Power Struggle in Pakistan: New Phase-III

By Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Power struggle weakens Pakistan

The seemingly endless power struggle in Pakistan is very dangerous for the nation, its progress, prosperity and global image. India snubs Islamabad and succeeds in painting both Islam and Pakistan in the worst possible ways and manners thanks to its media power and deceptive global influences.  So-called (skeleton) democracy perpetrated by the Western money makers have attracted several Muslim across the world and they prefer "free religion" to Islam, and work hands in glows with capitalists form west and India against Islam and Sharia’. They are against Sharia’ in Swat and Pakistan at large. Ironically, some analysts & newsmakers who thrive on espousing hollow emotionalism among the masses by writing about issues that are of their own imagination, are deliberately or inadvertently churning out derogatory and damaging statements just to get some space in newspapers columns without realizing the fuller implication of their rhetoric.

If the chief goal of the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif was to oust Musharraf, then, he has fully achieved that objective, while in the process by getting the sacked judges reinstated, he has got some extra points too. But if he wanted to take over power from Pervez Musharraf, Sharif has not made any plus points. He even outsmarted Zardari who was believed to oppose the return of the judges because he fears they will repeal an amnesty on corruption charges granted him last year.. The former businessman has served more than eight years in prison on corruption and other criminal charges, but without being convicted.

An almost lost case, Punjab courts helped rekindle the judges’ issue by ordering to sack the government which President Asif Zardari did. Amid efforts to defuse the political crisis, former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif has attacked President Asif Ali Zardari for "fighting democracy" and blamed his actions for the unrest in the country." The Sharifs and 16 other protest leaders were initially ordered under house arrest. Before dawn, hundreds of police surrounded Sharif's residence in Lahore, carrying an order for his house arrest. Sharif denounced the order as illegal and later left the house in a convoy of vehicles as police stood by. Premier Yousaf Raza Gilani’s engagement of Sharif brought the crisis to a positive end. Announcing that the march on Islamabad had been called off, Sharif urged supporters to celebrate "with dignity". He explicitly said that the government wants to implement the CoD and seeks the cooperation of PML-N for that. Chaudhry would resume his post following the resignation of the current Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on 21 March and he has kept his word. He also promised restoration of all other deposed judges. Gillani has proved by his conduct that he values prudence and knows that it is time to act more maturely to bring stability to the political process that seemed to have derailed in the recent past. After a jubilant reception from thousands of supporters, Pakistan’s main opposition leader headed to Islamabad. He was determined to lead lawyers and political activists in the final leg of what is called a Long March to push their demand for the restoration of the deposed chief justice. Announcing that the march on Islamabad had been called off, Sharif urged supporters to celebrate "with dignity".

With a single anti-Musharraf agenda, the alliance between the PPP and the PML-N was regarded by some quarters as a marriage of convenience between the two archrivals, which were instrumental in toppling each other’s governments in the 1990s. Fallout from a lost battle against the judiciary as well as the plans of former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to mount a dramatic political comeback and fight a tough political battle made Musharraf to consider his way out without much hassles. In the ensuing power struggle between Zardari had to assume the place of Benazir who was killed during the campaign making way for future showdown by the leaders while Zardari assumed the leadership of PPP along with his son. Then came the choice of a new president of Pakistan in place of Pervez Musharraf. Clearly, Sharif had been aiming at the President’s chair after Musharraf’s exit. PPP already appointed Gilani as the premier and Sharif expected the PPP appointing him for the president’s slot. Sharif was also angered by an announcement that Asif Ali Zardari, chairman of the PPP and widower of its former leader, Benazir Bhutto, would stand for president. The coalition partners had agreed to back a nonpartisan candidate until the presidents' powers were constitutionally pared down. In the 1990s, Sharif and the PPP, under Ms. Bhutto, were bitter rivals and alternated terms in power. Many Pakistanis dread a return to the rancor and chaos of those days, which resulted, in 1999, in Musharraf's bloodless coup.

The first phase of power struggle ended by unseating President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in the establishment of Zardari-Gilani government in Islamabad the quitting power by former President Pervez Musharraf, but Nawaz Sharif losing the battle and without gaining anything in a big way. His brother from Muslim League got power in the Punjab Province where he is strong. Blamed for the corruption and economic problems that nearly bankrupted the country in the 1990s, when Bhutto and Sharif each had two short-lived turns as prime minister, they were sent abroad by Gen. Musharraf. Living abroad as punishment, Nawaz Sharif failed in his first attempt to enter Pakistan and was sent back from the airport by Musharraf who claims Sharif as premier had plotted to kill or dispose him as the General. However, under US-Saudi mediation, Musharraf allowed Sharif in his second attempt and let him strengthen political institutions. Sharif sympathizes with Sharia' movement. A "conservative" Muslim with even more conservative followers, Sharif said that he was intent on quashing "militancy" but would like to lower the profile of US involvement in the war on terror. In 2007, under US-Saudi Arabia mediation both former premier Sharif and Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan to reactivate the political system in the country and soon elections were held where both PPP and PML forged an electoral alliance and won both parliamentary and provincial elections. However, due to differences of opinion on crucial issues on which the polls were fought, PML drifted from PPP and declined to join the central government led by PPP and has formed its own ministry in Punjab.

In August 2008 Hopes for much-needed political stability in Pakistan have crumbled along with its ruling coalition. Following Nawaz Sharif's exit from the government, the political stage looks set to be dominated by a power struggle, which will draw attention away from anti-militant efforts and a faltering economy. Only a week after it celebrated the resignation of former president Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's fractious coalition broke when former Prime Minister Mr. Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), stormed out on the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). He blames his former coalition partner for repeatedly reneging on its promise to reinstate 60 judges suspended by Musharraf.

However, the controversy over the Long March mushroomed into a political crisis several weeks ago, when the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz from holding elected office. The Sharifs saw this as a deliberate attempt, backed by the president, to remove them from power, despite Zardari's denials. That suspicion was reinforced when Asif Zardari imposed federal rule on the Punjab province - the power base of Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League Party (PMLN). In effect the Sharifs' government was dismissed while the president's representatives seemingly began negotiations with other parties to permanently replace the PMLN.

Zardari has also proved himself to a shroud politician. Sensing the Sharif’s long march danger ahead for Pakistan and PPP, Zardari was quick to arrest the trouble without letting the situation descending into total chaos leading to break down which the enemies for outside would use to disintegrate Pakistan. The PPP has representation across the country, particularly in the province of Sindh, Zardari’s base, while PMLN is Lahore based which is the largest and wealthiest province. There was a concern at rhetoric level about danger for the fragile threads of Pakistan’s federation, implying that a Punjabi leader is trying to destabilize a Sindhi president. Some observers believe Zardari may have tried to remove the Sharifs' provincial government for the reason that the centre and provinces are in conflict, both governments struggling to function. But that brought situation back to the instability of the 1990s, when Sharif's ML and Zardari's PPP traded terms in power, each undermining the other. More over Zardari faced the similar situation that Musharraf faced a couple of years ago when Islamabad was under virtual siege by the opposition. 

Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhary has re-assumed his office at Supreme Court. Former President Musharraf at later stage was not averse to reinstating the disposed CJP, but however, left the matter to the emerging new government under Zardari to decide. The judges' restoration might have restored people's confidence in “democracy” but the army chief's role as mediator between the government and the opposition will increase Zardari's dependence on the army. As the first face-to-face contact between them, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and PML-N leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met at Raiwind on Match 22 to discuss the roadmap for the implementation of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) covered issues like the formation of government in Punjab, the disqualification of Sharif brothers, the judges’ restoration as well the emerging political dispensation in Punjab.

Removal of Musharraf as the power struggle between the government and opposition brought the US-India forces and their agents right inside Pakistan and drowns are being dropped by US terror forces killing innocent Muslims in this Islamic nation. Fallout from a lost battle against the judiciary and the plans of former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to mount a dramatic political comeback made Musharraf make way for Zardari to assume power eventually.

Unfortunately, the issue of miserable plight of common people who voted overwhelmingly for PPP-PMLN does not bother Pakistani rulers in any manner - both at centre and in provinces. But when Punjab government was dismissed on court orders, a few politicians suddenly remembered poor people. Politicians in the opposition talked about "all round failed policies against poor", country and nation has lost every trust in the PPP-led government. For a government in an Islamic society ignoring the welfare of common people is indeed a crime, a big crime at that. Gilani government did initiate some programs to uplift the poor, but the politics and US-led terror war in Pakistan has halted that process, possibly as a deliberate attempt.

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Yours Sincerely,

DR. ABDUL RUFF Colachal

Columnist & Independent Researcher in World Affairs, The only Indian to have gone through entire India
South Asia.