A dose of democracy for
Pakistan By Syed Saleem
Shahzad
KARACHI - Al-Qaeda's resurgence
and its new modus operandi through
home-grown militant groups in the Muslim world has
gone a long way toward prompting Washington to
revise its approach to the "war on terror". In
this, the promotion of democracy and social reform
plays a significant part in confronting al-Qaeda.
This is especially true in frontline "war
on terror" states such as Pakistan, Egypt and
Saudi Arabia, which are ruled by virtual
dictatorships.
Washington has engaged in
backchannel diplomacy with these
countries in an attempt to
promote more representative government, but in the
case of Saudi Arabia with limited success. For
instance, this year several advocates of a
constitutional monarchy have been arrested by the
General Intelligence Services (al-Mahabith
al-Amma). These include prominent lawyers and
academics.
With regard to Pakistan,
month-long mediation by the US has resulted in
former prime minister Benazir Bhutto apparently
agreeing to share power with President General
Pervez Musharraf before or after presidential
elections this year. This was done last Friday in
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the
residence of a Pakistani tycoon and in the
presence of a US State Department official.
The charismatic Bhutto, leader of the
Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian party, has
been in self-exile in the UAE since her government
was dismissed in 1996 on charges of corruption.
Subsequent to Friday's meeting, the
anti-corruption cell of the National
Accountability Bureau of Pakistan, which had been
dealing with the charges against Bhutto, was
closed down.
Clearly, the US sees the
West-friendly Bhutto as a possible alternative to
Musharraf, who since taking power in 1999 in a
coup has steadfastly refused to step out of his
uniform or relax his grip. This has fueled
widespread unrest in the country, which extremist
militant and religious elements are exploiting.
Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on
the US and the invasion of Afghanistan, the US has
relied heavily on Pakistan in the "war on terror".
This has often been a stormy relationship, with
Washington accusing Islamabad of not doing enough
to curtail the activities of al-Qaeda and the
Taliban, which have bases and draw support from
Pakistan's tribal areas.
However, sources
close to Pakistan's decision-makers have told Asia
Times Online that in recent weeks all US talk with
Pakistan has centered on democracy and Musharraf's
uniform, rather than on issues related to the "war
on terror".
According to the sources,
Bhutto and other liberal. pro-Western political
forces will become involved in Pakistan's affairs
at the highest level, including in the National
Security Council. This would act as a brake on
Musharraf and the ruling military establishment
and, the argument goes, help the country meet the
threat from al-Qaeda by addressing the grassroot
unrest from where al-Qaeda and militant
organizations draw increasing support.
Western concern has heightened amid the
understanding that al-Qaeda has re-established its
financial networks and is preparing for a global
campaign against US interests and its allies in
Muslim countries.
Al-Qaeda's is a
two-pronged approach - by militant means and
through khurooj - mass mobilization to
change a regime. This would be difficult to
contain through military means or dictatorial
oppression. Hence the move for the greater
participation of democratic forces in Pakistan's
political process.
Meanwhile, Musharraf
has begun to feel the heat over the "war on
terror". He said recently that if US pressure
continued, he might sever his partnership with the
US.
At the same time, Musharraf publicly
rejected point-blank month-old discussions on a
joint patrol mechanism of North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and Pakistani forces along the border
between Pakistan and Afghanistan to contain the
Taliban. Musharraf had earlier signaled his
willingness to go along with the plan.
Musharraf might be made to change his
mind, though, as there is a move in the US
Congress to condition US military aid to Pakistan
on the country's performance in fighting terrorism
and introducing democratic reforms.
Military aid apart, Pakistan has had loan
payments rescheduled and been granted fresh US
loans and economic packages worth billions of
dollars. Simply put, Pakistan can't afford to lose
this largesse and risk economic instability.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia
Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be
reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
(Copyright 2007 Asia Times Online Ltd. All
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