Asif146;s azadi

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.

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