Going, going, Musharraf?

With a new government about to be formed in Islamabad, political commentators around the world are busy speculating...

With a new government about to be formed in Islamabad, political commentators around the world are busy speculating on the future of President Pervez Musharraf. Will the new government impeach the president, or won8217;t it? But there is another, and perhaps more crucial, question here: what do the people of Pakistan say?

According to the findings of a survey carried out in August 2007, conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in collaboration with the Indian Express, CNN-IBN and Dawn News in the run-up to the 60th Independence Day of India and Pakistan, public opinion in urban Pakistan is loud and clear: Musharraf must go. A cross-section of 1,011 adults were interviewed in the top 10 cities of Pakistan.

The survey reveals that 55 per cent of the respondents want Musharraf to quit, while only 29 per cent want him to continue as president. All sections of respondents seem to have a clear consensus on the matter. The anti-Musharraf sentiment is strongest among the Punjabi-speaking respondents 71 per cent, who constitute around half of the country8217;s population. More affluent people 59 per cent as compared to the poor 50 per cent 8212; both categories defined by per capita household income 8212; share the opinion that Musharraf should step down from the post of president.

Two-thirds of the respondents feel that corruption has increased under Musharraf8217;s regime. Even though the US-led forces see Musharraf as a close and trusted ally in their War on Terror, 58 per cent of the respondents feel that Pakistan8217;s image around the world has deteriorated. Only 36 per cent of the respondents seem to be buying the president8217;s claim of controlling extremist activities 8212; 64 per cent disagreed with the statement that jihadi militants have been brought under control. A lot of discontent against Musharraf seems to stem from the fact that the majority 56 per cent of the respondents believed that people8217;s basic rights have been curtailed in the Musharraf regime.

The two main political parties who have won the vote in these elections, the PPP and PMLN, had taken a clear anti-Musharraf stance all through the campaign. Now, if they were to join hands with Musharraf under international pressure, it will certainly be a decision that goes against public opinion in urban Pakistan. Whether the yet to be installed government will succumb to international pressure, or go with popular sentiment, is something that will be known in the days to come.

The writer is a public opinion researcher at Lokniti, CSDS