Asif146;s azadi

Pakistan's Supreme Court, known for its earlier 8220;doctrine of necessity8221; pronouncement, may have released Asif Ali Zardari 8212; t...

Pakistan8217;s Supreme Court, known for its earlier 8220;doctrine of necessity8221; pronouncement, may have released Asif Ali Zardari 8212; the husband of former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, who has been in jail for the past eight years 8212; on bail based strictly on legal grounds. But given the nature of dispensation of justice and politics in Pakistan, the impression would remain that this was part of a 8220;deal8221; between the ruling regime and the Pakistan People8217;s Party PPP. The sequence of events points to this. The current minister for information in the Shaukat Aziz government, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has in fact welcomed the release declaring that 8220;this would play an important role in creating an atmosphere of reconciliation8221;.

The reality may well be closer to the spirit of his statement. General Pervez Musharraf had created a political vacuum when he moved towards elections two years ago by marginalising Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif and their political parties and filling that vacuum with religious parties. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the hand-picked prime minister 8212; in a replay of the events of mid-1980s, when Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo was removed by Zia ul-Haq when he started to seek greater room for manoeuvre to act as the executive head of government 8212; was moved out before he could become a bigger embarrassment to the army regime. Continuing demands for Musharraf to give up the post of army chief provided the need for fresh initiatives all round.

But this switch, while ensuring the smooth functioning of the government, has obviously not made things easier for Musharraf in the broader political arena. Musharraf is under pressure from the West on democracy and from domestic opposition to cooperation with the US in the war against terrorism. There are, besides, pressures on resolving India-Pakistan tensions and, above all, the imperative of turning Pakistan around. Hence the overtures to both Benazir Bhutto as well as Nawaz Sharif reportedly through the route of sending condolences on the death of Sharif8217;s father. It would be good, as Sheikh Rashid Ahmed hopes, if it leads to domestic political reconciliation and the emergence of consultative politics in Pakistan even though the role and partial rule of the army will certainly continue.