Musharraf Receives Support from U.S. While Facing Pressure at Home
By Daniel Hollingsworth
May 24, 2007

Since suspending the country’s chief justice in March, Pakistan’s president Gen. Pervez Musharraf has faced sharp criticism at home over the course of his presidency.  At the same time, continued support from the Bush administration has bolstered Musharraf as critics contend he has moved the country away from democratic principles.  Pakistan’s role in the American effort to combat the Taliban and Al Qaeda along with concerns over the potential nature of a future Pakistani government have tempered American pressure on Musharraf.

Musharraf’s recent troubles began when he suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on allegations of corruption.  Musharraf has been accused of removing the independent-minded judge to preclude legal challenges to his efforts to gain another five-year term as president.  Protests over this suspension led to violent protests that left more than 40 people dead.  Chaudhry has appealed his suspension to the Supreme Court, and presiding Judge Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday has ruled that the government does not have the authority to handle Chaudhry’s appeal separately from the court. 

These events have led to strengthened pressure for Musharraf to separate the offices of president and army chief, powers that are both currently held by Musharraf.  Recent comments by a British diplomat to this effect elicited a formal protest from the Pakistani government.  The Bush administration, however, has reiterated its support for the president, as a State Department official recently affirmed its belief that the country is headed in the right direction, putting pressure on extremists and moving toward elections.

Domestically, there are also calls for Musharraf to open elections to his chief opposition.  Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were the main political rivals in Pakistan in the 1990s until Musharraf seized power in 1999.  After the military coup, Bhutto and Sharif fled Pakistan and have remained in exile amid allegations of corruption.  They have now joined forces to push for a return to civilian democratic rule in Pakistan.  In an interview with Voice of America, Sharif criticized the Bush administration’s support for the Musharraf government: “President Bush is preaching democracy in Iraq, he is preaching democracy in Afghanistan, but he is supporting 'uniform democracy' in Pakistan, he is supporting a uniformed president in Pakistan…So I think this is not fair that he is supporting one individual against the entire nation in Pakistan.”

However, disagreement between Bhutto and Sharif about the nature of the coalition they would form also highlights the concern over the changes that may occur with the end of Musharraf’s regime.  Sharif has indicated that he would like to incorporate the coalition of Islamist parties (MMA) into their opposition alliance, a move that Bhutto rejects.  She hopes to create a moderate, democratic alternative, “to send a clear message that the choice in Pakistan is not just between military dictatorship and religious dictatorship.”  U.S. officials identify such concerns as reason to continue their support for Musharraf, especially given Pakistan’s nuclear status.  One administration official told the New York Times, “There is such concern about what a post-Musharraf Pakistan would look like that the overwhelming reflex is to do nothing that destabilizes the situation.”

References:

New York Times: Supporters Urge Pakistan Leader to Shift Course

Voice of America: Former Political Rivals Team Against Pakistan’s President

CNN: Pakistan president rejects ‘lies’ over judge

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