The trouble, of course, is that General Pervez Musharraf wants to eat his democratic cake and have it too. Whether it is the amazing referendum of the summer or the incredible election expected this fall, the General would like to ensure that he himself remains Pakistan’s man for all seasons. It is this ambition that casts a long shadow on the credibility of the October elections in Pakistan.As if to symbolise the emptiness of the process, is the absence from the electoral scene of the country’s most charismatic leaders: the two former prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto of the Pakistan People’s Party and Nawaz Sharif of the Muslim League, as well as exiled Mohajir leader, Altaf Hussain, who heads the Muttahida Quami Movement. Interestingly, although the election papers of Sharif, who has been in exile in Saudi Arabia since 2000, were cleared, he has chosen to stay away. Whether this is in solidarity with Bhutto — whose final bid to participate in these elections was scotched on the grounds of her alleged failure to answer corruption charges — or whether it was inspired by more selfish requirements like self-preservation, is difficult to say. But the fact is that Musharraf had already taken the necessary steps to put in place a parliament that will dance to his tune, by having recently promulgated a series of laws that debars politicians convicted of any charge — including those handed over by the ‘accountability courts’ — from participating in these elections.Why, then, this elaborate attempt to prove the nation’s democratic credentials by military sleight of hand? Let’s just say that the general purpose is to make Pakistan more acceptable to the West — especially the US, which is keen to ensure that its protege conducts itself in a manner that is in tune with the norms of the ‘civilised world’. But the General and his compatriots know that this is essentially an exercise in window dressing. The new parliament, if this democratic experiment goes according to plan, will have no hesitation in passing General Musharraf’s proposed constitutional amendments, which will allow him to hire and fire prime ministers, nominate governors and exercise control through the all-powerful National Security Council. With a democracy like this, who needs a dictatorship?
