Periscope on Pakistan

No hope for Charlie Brown
The whole business of having a general in charge while maintaining a democratic facade is beyond me: the only possible justification for military rule is that freed from constitutional restraints, the administration can take drastic steps and cut through red tape. As it is, we have the worst of both worlds: on the one hand, we have lost the basic right to choose our government, while on the other, we do not havethe benefits of the quick decision-making the army is supposed to display. One of the most appealing elements in General Musharraf8217;s first address to the nation three months ago was his clear rejection of religious extremism of any kind. The Charlie Browns a character in the US comic-strip Peanuts among us had hoped for some kind of firm action against the gangs of armed zealots that have increasingly infested Pakistan since General Zia8217;s days. But far from calling them to heel, this government seems to have given them greater licence than ever before. So much for the Chief Executive8217;s liberal credentials.

The army8217;s task
And although this government8217;s spokesmen have stressed its commitment to fundamental rights, members of Nawaz Sharif8217;s family continue to be detained without charges. Surely three months should be enough to determine whether there are grounds to prosecute or not. Two wrongs never made a right. What is lacking is a clear sense of direction and purpose. Despite the calibre ofsome of the new team, we have received no signal of what the junta proposes to do with its unlimited powers. Basically, this government is doing what all its predecessors have done: muddling along. By refusing to take the tough steps, it is forgoing possibilities that had briefly opened up three months ago when there was universal euphoria at Nawaz Sharif8217;s overthrow.

We need to be clear that Pakistan8217;s very survival now depends on reasserting the writ of the state; this in turn demands that the politics of violence should cease. To achieve this goal, the preachers of the gospel of hate and violence have to be strongly discouraged, and ethnic and sectarian armies disarmed. Only the army is capable of carrying out this task. So instead of recovering defaulted loans and outstanding electricity bills, if our armed forces were to concentrate on the more difficult but essential task of restoring law and order, they would be making a genuine contribution towards bringing peace and prosperity to Pakistan.