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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 27 October 1999 Issue No. 452 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 27 October 1999 Issue No. 452
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Enter the generals
By Faiza Rady
Following the military coup which swept democratically-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from power last Tuesday, Pakistan's self-declared new ruler General Pervez Musharraf praised what he called the broad-based international "understanding" of his political objectives. In an interview with the British daily The Guardian, Musharraf said that his foremost objective was to crack down on the Sharif administration's rampant corruption and enforce accountability at all levels.
Pakistan coup leader General Musharraf at his home in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, with his wife and granddaughter (photo: AP)
The Sharif administration has in effect been charged with massive embezzlement of public funds and financial irregularities. One recent post-coup estimate claims that politicians and other Sharif cronies owe local banks a staggering $2.5 billion. Sharif himself is charged with money laundering and building his lavish estate with government funds.
Describing his aim as being to "thoroughly cleanse the nation", Musharraf appeared determined to crack down hard on any significant political opposition and remove all obstacles to the junta's rule. Since last week's coup, the new rulers have lost no time and are busy neutralising and weeding out potential opponents.
Purging the Sharif administration is a top priority. An undisclosed number of cabinet ministers, governors and other politicians have already disappeared from public life. They are currently under house arrest and strict army surveillance. Rumour has it that some of them have already been secretly interrogated.
Moreover, the junta issued a travel ban for 20 leading journalists -- including the chairman of Pakistan Television, a fervent supporter of Sharif, who stands accused of having "slavishly done the prime minister's bidding". Besides proceeding to punish Sharif loyalists and quislings, the new rulers are also intent on breaking the back of other opponents. A case in point is Ghulam Hasnain, one of the country's most respected journalists, who has also been served with a travel ban. Hasnain is suspect for having exposed the Pakistani army's involvement on the Indian side of the Kashmir conflict this summer -- a claim that has been vehemently and consistently denied by the generals.
Besides the journalists, 400 prominent members of the deposed president's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League, are also barred from leaving the country -- among them, leading regional and federal politicians.
However, even more chilling and significant than the house arrests and the travel bans is the possibility that Musharraf and his clique plan to cling on to power indefinitely. "It is always nice to be in charge," said Musharraf, adding that the junta will stay on board until "true democracy" could be restored in Pakistan. Deploring this elastic definition in lieu of a set timetable committing the officers to returning to their barracks by a given date, many political observers interpret Musharraf's statement as implying that the generals are here to stay.
This interpretation seemed even more plausible after Musharraf declared on Monday that he would announce the composition of a caretaker government within days. Reiterating in the clearest of terms that the army had no immediate intention of relinquishing power, the general said that he was in the process of appointing a joint civilian-military government.
"I have been encouraged by the reaction of the international community," said Musharraf. "They seem to understand that we are facing huge problems here and had to act ."
The British Commonwealth, however, did not appear particularly understanding of the junta's stated or implied political ambitions. Commonwealth foreign ministers on Monday suspended Pakistan from the organisation and continued to call for an immediate return to civilian democratic rule.
"The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group unanimously condemned the unconstitutional overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Pakistan as a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental political principles," read the ministers' statement.
Despite the statement's solemn tone, most observers agree that suspension from the Commonwealth is purely symbolic and signifies nothing worse than a slap on the wrist. While it may isolate Islamabad diplomatically, it is only the threat of economic sanctions which would carry any real weight with the virtually bankrupt country.
In this respect, it is the signals coming from the US that will make or break the army's plans. Musharraf conceded that much when he acknowledged that "in a unipolar world, relations with Washington are very important".
It came as no surprise, then, that Musharraf has already begun to bend over backwards in his efforts to please the US. He moved swiftly to reassure Washington of his commitment to regional stability, by proceeding to withdraw Pakistani troops from the Indian border. As a result, US President Bill Clinton gave the general his stamp of approval by declaring that "a lot of what Musharraf said on the substance, including his conciliatory tone towards India, was quite good."
Confident of Clinton's initial good will, the junta may be able to hold onto power for a while yet. As long as they do, democracy in Pakistan will remain on hold.
