By Kenneth J. Theisen
In an entirely predictable development, the Pakistani Supreme Court, which was handpicked by President Pervez Musharraf, rejected all challenges to his recent “election.” Musharraf had earlier purged the Supreme Court and arrested several of the justices he felt might rule against him. He then replaced seven of them with his own loyalists. The court rejected five petitions alleging that the election was invalid because Musharaff was Army Chief of Staff at the same time as he was President. Musharraf has said he will step down as Army Chief when he has been confirmed as President.
The Bush regime which supports him has urged Musharaff to “take off his uniform,” in order to preserved the façade of democracy and civilian rule. But while Bush, Musharraf, and company, hope that the recent ruling and Musharraf’s uniform shedding will calm opposition, there is no sign at this time that is going to happen soon. As long as there is a “state of emergency,” and as long as the military is the real power in Pakistan, there will be opposition. Opposition leaders have rejected the court ruling which was widely expected.
In one irony, some of the challenges to the election were dismissed by the court because those who brought them failed to appear in court because they had been arrested under the emergency decree. The Bush regime has said nothing about this. Since the “emergency” was declared on November 3rd, Musharraf has arrested thousands of lawyers, political activists, human-rights workers, and even Supreme Court judges. Elections have been scheduled for January 8th but emergency rule continues. There is no guarantee it will be lifted before the election.
The Bush administration is concerned though that opposition to Musharraf continues. It tried to cut a deal between him and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to share power. But Bhutto, for the time being, has cut off any negotiations about such a compromise and demanded the ouster of Musharraf. U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson met on November 19th with Bhutto, in an attempt to get her to reverse her decision. In the past, Bhutto has been a loyal ally of the U.S. and the Bush regime hopes that they can convince her that it is in her interest to compromise and save the Musharraf regime.
Patterson announced that, “The United States is interested in a reconciliation of all political moderates.” Political moderate means anyone willing to kiss the Bush regime’s butt. In another irony, she pledged that the Bush regime would assist Pakistan to conduct free and fair elections. Wow! The Bush regime knows how to conduct a “fair election?” Who knew?