Sep 15: With Nawaz Sharif’s deportation and the announcement of Benazir Bhutto’s return without a power-sharing deal with the government, the political scenario in Pakistan seems to be changed ahead of the general elections to set the path towards democracy.
Pakistan ’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Friday announced Oct 18 as the date of her returnto home. However, she also made it clear that there is no such power-sharing deal with General Pervez Musharraf but she will move forward to bring back true democracy to the country.
After spending almost 8 years in self-imposed exile the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader was supposed to set a power-sharing deal with the government but that eventually failed. Bhutto in her meeting with Musharraf in August had asked the General to give up either of the top post as Army Chief or President of the nation. But that did not click to the General.
The government of Pakistan though has allowed Bhutto to return unlike the deportation of another ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday but also clearly stated that she has to face all corruption charges on her return.
Counting the political backlash with Sharif’s return to the country, Musharraf government on Monday at the very last moment didn’t allow Sharif to stay in the country and eventually deported back to Saudi Arabia. As the General had already witnessed nationwide protest over Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary’s suspension and Lal Masjid incident, he wants to end the confrontation with Sharif by every possible tool. It was obvious for the Pakistan Muslim League leader to take those issues on the front and that could have been the greatest challenge for the present government to deal with.
However, Bhutto who served twice as Prime Minister on the other hand was forced to move into self-exile in 1999 by the Sharif government with various corruption charges is ready to return to the country with no deal either with Musharraf or Sharif. Though both the former Prime Ministers had signed the 'Charter of Democracy' in which Bhutto and Sharif had agreed not to have any deal with any dictator, Bhutto later moved to Musharraf for a deal in which she demanded that the bar on a person serving as Prime Minister for more than two terms be lifted. But that didn’t workout.
On this scenario there seems a clear cut triangular fight with Bhutto’s PPP, Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League and Musharraf. Meanwhile, Musharraf on pressure whose presidential term ends on November wants to hold both the posts. But it’s not likely for Musharraf to leave the post of army chief or be the president without a veto power of dissolving any assemblies or government, which is the demand of PPP.
Being such circumstances if the Supreme Court takes any decision against Pervez Musharraf on the issue of holding dual office then Musharraf have only one to choose either a deal with Bhutto or emergency rule undermining SC’s rule, which will be a disaster for Pakistan’s run towards democracy.
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