Soap opera Pakistan

There has never been a dearth of issues, least of all on the question of ruling Pakistan. Internal and external problems abound today, dwarfing the issue of the restoration of the judges sent packing by Musharraf as he declared emergency on November 3 last year; the question of the president’s impeachment too is less of a real issue for a people facing economic hardship, uncertainty and terrorism — not necessarily in that order. But these two questions alone seem to occupy the leaders’ minds.

Relations with India and Afghanistan are arguably at the lowest ebb in many years; those with Washington are at their ambivalent best. Terrorist attacks in the north-west and nationalist insurgency in Balochistan are crying out for attention, while street crime, the monsoon and the steep food prices flood the land. The people are literally marooned. There is, in effect, little governance or even emergency provision of relief and fire-fighting that are so badly needed.

Many believe that the US-brokered deal reached between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto before the latter’s return to Pakistan in April last year was clinched after the PPP had agreed not to proceed against the general if he absolved the party leadership of corruption and criminal charges that were levelled against them. For his part, Musharraf fulfilled the promise by promulgating the PPP-specific National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) before the February election and also secured for it the Supreme Court’s approval after sacking the errant judges. The legality of the NRO and Musharraf’s presidency are bound together as indemnified by the post-November 3 Supreme Court, while the previous apex court presided over by Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had called the NRO to book, a move that Zardari cannot find in his heart to forgive.

... contd.