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| Kathmandu, Tuesday April 30, 2002 Baishakh 17, 2059. |
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Pak referendum
Pakistan goes for a major political exercise
that seeks people’s mandate to have or not to have General Pervez Musharraf’s
tenure as country’s president extended by another five years. The outcome of the
referendum, taking place today, is not hard to speculate. General Musharraf has already
won his initial bid when a nine-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the chief
justice held the exercise constitutionally valid. General Musharraf is under an obligation
to the international community as well as Pakistan’s judiciary to have democracy
restored in the country in the next five months. From country’s CEO, General
Musharraf had declared himself as the country’s president on the eve of crucial Agra
summit, may have many reasons. One obvious reason was that he wanted to represent his
country in such a crucial exercise not as a military ruler who had appropriated powers
through a coup, but as the highest civilian authority of the land. A court verdict
upholding the October 1999 coup had given him the required legitimacy with the condition
that he would hold elections and return the country to democracy.
The referendum is yet another clever attempt by
the General. His victory in the referendum will be as acceptable as any democratic
elections in the eyes of international community. A General turned civilian head of the
state and someone who has vowed to crush Islamic fundamentalists and terrorists —
albeit mainly under a compelling world scenario — Musharraf would perhaps be the most
charismatic Pak leader in its 54 years of existence. This is an exercise that most of his
predecessors with the military background have tried, with some failing and others
achieving partial success. But the General looks more determined and perhaps with little
bit of luck on his side as except the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARC), other
political groups have directly or indirectly favoured Musharraf. That perhaps should be
enough to ensure his victory as the president. And that should be considered a good omen
for democracy.
This would, however, not lessen the challenge
that Pakistan and President Musharraf would be facing. Having peace and democracy restored
would be his most crucial challenge. To convince at least the international community that
Pakistan has nothing to do with terrorist groups in different parts of the world operating
in the name of Islam would be his another responsibility as an elected head of the Islamic
republic. Of course, normalising Indo-Pak relations, or at least making sincere attempts
in that direction has become necessary to reduce the possibility of yet another war
between the two nuclear power nations. General Musarraf knows these issues well more than
any one else. The victory in the referendum will give him new responsibility. And in any
genuine attempt that he makes to democratise the country and normalise relations with
India, the best way to avoid a nuclear flare up in the region, President Musharraf
deserves international support, and more so from India. A friendly and stable Pakistan
will be the best guarantee for joint peace initiatives. |
