Pulling strings in Pakistan
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - The US-led "war on terror" has reached a point where the US is ready
to make major compromises in its hardline positions, with the Bush
administration ready to talk to resistance leaders in both Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Integral to this approach, the US will continue to support incumbents in power
in South Asia and parts of the Middle East, including monarchs and dictators,
but at the same time it will encourage trends that will gradually weaken their
absolute power
bases, leading to more secular, liberal governments.
In this regard, Pakistan is a case study.
Last year, when Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was still finance minister in
President General Pervez Musharraf's cabinet, Paul Wolfowitz, the former US
deputy defense secretary and now head of the World Bank, visited the Pakistani
Embassy in Washington, where he spoke to correspondents of Pakistani newspapers
in favor of his friend, Aziz, a former banker on Wall Street, as the most
suitable person to be premier.
Wolfowitz's comments were widely published in the Pakistan media, but Aziz
remained a dark horse until Musharraf was convinced that Aziz, who was
politically little known, would be able to quietly work to turn around
Pakistan's economy.
Aziz was sworn in as 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on August 28, 2004.
Musharraf, all powerful after consolidating his position following his coup in
1999, and backed by Washington, was pleased to go along with Aziz, whom he
viewed as weak and lacking in political ambition, and who had no
constituency. All Aziz needed to do was perform economic miracles, which would
make Musharraf look even better.
Today, Musharraf is still powerful, and still backed by Washington, but Aziz
has turned out to have a will of his own, creating a tense environment in the
corridors of power. From the Water and Power Development Authority to Pakistan
International Airlines, Aziz has replaced Musharraf's army men with civilians
in preparation for privatizing these traditional bastions of military-business
might.
The latest jolt is Aziz's virtual takeover of all relief operations related to
the devastating earthquake of October 8 that claimed the lives of tens of
thousands of people, most of them in Pakistani territory.
Being a friend of Wolfowitz, Aziz has negotiated all financing from
international lending institutions for rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
Aziz also organized the most recent international donors' conference in
Islamabad. Normally, such events are staged by the United Nations. Of the
US$5.8 billion pledged in aid, only $1.9 billion is in grants; the remainder is
in loans. And tough conditions were set by the donors, including the mandatory
- and lead - participation of civil society, rather than military personnel, in
relief and rehabilitation work.
To the surprise of many, although Musharraf was the host of the conference, and
invited the leaders, Aziz was the one who received all the calls for
confirmation and negotiation of the terms and conditions of aid.
As a legal chief executive of the country, Aziz is fully empowered to interact
with the world leadership and can make commitments on his own. Therefore, when
he bargained a deal with the World Bank for a loan in return for a major cut in
military expenditure, he was fully able, but the army did not expect that he
would succeed.
Political insiders tell Asia Times Online that Aziz's bold actions are of
concern to Musharraf. The general is still powerful and required and backed by
Washington, but he cannot understand why a constituency such as the one that
Aziz now commands, and seemingly also with US support, is assuming more power.
The answer, perhaps, lies in the fact there is a segment in the US
establishment that looks at issues in a broader context than President George W
Bush's immediate need for an ally such as Musharraf in the "war on terror".
US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca is one prominent member of this
segment, which believes that long-term support for dictators and monarchs will
ultimately lead to organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood gaining
popularity among the masses.
Therefore, countries such as Pakistan should be forced to implement democratic
reforms. This segment of the US establishment supports liberal politicians such
as Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, both former premiers and victims of coups,
and backs their return to mainstream politics.
People such as Wolfowitz, although he is no longer in the administration,
believe in aggressive change in societies through major economic reforms,
ensuring greater participation of civil society and in pursing an agenda of
disarmament.
Musharraf is not having everything his way any more.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online. He can be
reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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