by Kenneth J. Theisen
In Pakistan on Thursday November 8, 2007, President/General Musharraf announced that Pakistani parliamentary elections would be held on February 15, 2008. He also said he would step down as Army Chief without saying when he would do so. But he has made this promise before and then not resigned as head of the army. President of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, claimed the state of emergency will remain in place for at least a month. Thousands of members of the opposition have been arrested, others are in hiding, and some have just been charged with treason. Even if the state of emergency should end after a month, there is no guarantee that those arrested will be released.
The Bush regime which had urged their dictator and ally to hold elections and to “take off his uniform” immediately praised the move. White House press person, Dana Perino stated, “We think it is a good thing that President Musharraf has clarified the election date for the Pakistani people.”
But do not expect that elections will actually change the fact that it is actually the Pakistani military under Musharraf that holds actual power in Pakistan. The Bush regime knows this. The White House wants elections as they believe “emergency rule” will not only strengthen opposition to Musharraf, but that it could actually lead to toppling him. Also “democratic rule” will be less of an exposure of the hypocrisy of the Bush regime for its support of the authoritarian Musharraf who came to power in a military coup in 1999. The Bush regime claims it wants to bring democracy to the world. Musharraf has held power by the fact that he has been the Army Chief and then he held two “elections” where he was “elected” to the office of president. His refusal to step down as head of the army has been a major bone of contention in Pakistan.
The Bush regime is also well aware how easily elections can be stolen, based on its own practice. In making his announcement, Musharraf made no announcement that emergency rule would end. While the Bush regime and he undoubtedly hope that the announcement of future elections will lessen opposition to Musharraf, it is not clear whether this ploy will satisfy the millions of Pakistanis who oppose emergency rule and the fact that Musharraf still runs the military. Imran Khan, one of the opposition leaders, told CNN International, “The general opposition in this country wants those (Supreme Court) judges to be reinstated. Just lifting the emergency (order) is not good enough for us. We intend to resist him (Musharraf) as long as he does not reinstate the chief justice.” Musharraf had purged several Supreme Court Judges who he feared would rule against the legality of the most recent election that “elected” him president.
World Can’t Wait will closely follow developments in this volatile area of the world, as well as the Bush regime maneuvers to control who rules Pakistan.