ایچ اے خان
معطل
Today's Editorial:Musharraf regime at a crossroads
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, eight years after coming to power in a coup, is facing one of the toughest challenges to his rule.
While the secular opposition is agitating for overthrow of his military regime, the Taliban forces and al-Qaida remnants are regrouping along the borders with Afghanistan, resuming attacks on government troops. The security in the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province has been so aggravated that U.S. and NATO forces are urging tougher action against infiltration of militants.
The recurring bomb blasts along the border as well as in cities like Islamabad have killed hundreds of people, shaking the public's confidence in the government's ability to impose law and order. After months of procrastination, he used strong military attacks to dislodge a group of pro-Taliban radical clergy and armed militants entrenched inside the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
More than a hundred people including security forces were killed in this operation on July 11, but critics blame him for failing to act sooner. Some even suspect he allowed the confrontation to fester for months hoping to use the mosque siege to rally middle-class support around his embattled regime.
But it's clear General Musharraf had no alternative but to strike hard as militants inside the mosque, besides taking hostage of a large number of students from the Muslim boarding school inside, had accumulated a huge cache of weapons including grenade launchers, submachine guns and AK-47 assault rifles. The militants were determined to fight to the last, and they did.
Now the Taliban is fighting back, in retaliation against the bloodbath. They have called off an informal truce that stood in effect since September in the northwestern tribal areas. That spells resumption of suicide and car-bombings everywhere in Pakistan.
That is not the only problem Musharraf faces. His relations with the secular opposition parties have been upset since March, following the sacking of chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry, on allegations of abuse of office. It has ignited months of street protests, with Chaudhry's supporters rallying all over the country.
But Musharraf is seeking a way out of this crisis, by sensibly accepting a high court's verdict reinstating Chaudhry. The government now says it will respect the court's decision, considering the case closed.
It's an excellent move, a signal that Musharraf is capable of burying his differences with the opposition politicians and reaching a compromise at this time of national crisis. This move coincides with reports that he may be striking a deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, now in exile in London, to help shore up his shaky government. If that civilian-military alliance comes through, it will certainly have the effect of consolidating security and providing an extra measure of stability to the country.
He needs this alliance as he seeks another term in office while retaining the post of army chief. It's by no means clear at this stage if parliament will accept his proposition and agree to revise the constitution to give him the legitimacy he needs.
But civilian-military collaboration is essential for Pakistan if it pursues economic stability. The continued unrest undermines efforts to rebuild the economy as a linchpin to stable governance. The rapid economic success in neighboring India, with which it has warred on three occasions, makes it all the more imperative for Pakistan to forge an economic strategy for survival. In the past few years under Musharraf, the economy has recovered a measure of growth, expanding by 4 to 5 percent a year under leadership of technocrat Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, a former banker.
Such economic improvements allow the government to push ahead with social reforms in other sectors, especially in the area of education. If the recent Red Mosque clashes demonstrated anything, it was the burning need for overhauling the existing madrassah schools, where teaching consists of rote learning of the Koran. As these Muslim boarding schools are mostly under control of Islamists, students fall prey to extremist indoctrination. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we have seen such youngsters wearing explosive belts for suicide bombing missions.
In the end, it's the security that allows a country to focus on economy. Unless Musharraf stands firm and delivers on security, Pakistan runs the risk of repeating coups and poverty that in turn breed more extremism.
By Shim Jae-hoon
Shim Jae-hoon is a Seoul-based journalist and commentator. He can be reached at shimjaehoon@hotmail.com
While the secular opposition is agitating for overthrow of his military regime, the Taliban forces and al-Qaida remnants are regrouping along the borders with Afghanistan, resuming attacks on government troops. The security in the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province has been so aggravated that U.S. and NATO forces are urging tougher action against infiltration of militants.
The recurring bomb blasts along the border as well as in cities like Islamabad have killed hundreds of people, shaking the public's confidence in the government's ability to impose law and order. After months of procrastination, he used strong military attacks to dislodge a group of pro-Taliban radical clergy and armed militants entrenched inside the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
More than a hundred people including security forces were killed in this operation on July 11, but critics blame him for failing to act sooner. Some even suspect he allowed the confrontation to fester for months hoping to use the mosque siege to rally middle-class support around his embattled regime.
But it's clear General Musharraf had no alternative but to strike hard as militants inside the mosque, besides taking hostage of a large number of students from the Muslim boarding school inside, had accumulated a huge cache of weapons including grenade launchers, submachine guns and AK-47 assault rifles. The militants were determined to fight to the last, and they did.
Now the Taliban is fighting back, in retaliation against the bloodbath. They have called off an informal truce that stood in effect since September in the northwestern tribal areas. That spells resumption of suicide and car-bombings everywhere in Pakistan.
That is not the only problem Musharraf faces. His relations with the secular opposition parties have been upset since March, following the sacking of chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry, on allegations of abuse of office. It has ignited months of street protests, with Chaudhry's supporters rallying all over the country.
But Musharraf is seeking a way out of this crisis, by sensibly accepting a high court's verdict reinstating Chaudhry. The government now says it will respect the court's decision, considering the case closed.
It's an excellent move, a signal that Musharraf is capable of burying his differences with the opposition politicians and reaching a compromise at this time of national crisis. This move coincides with reports that he may be striking a deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, now in exile in London, to help shore up his shaky government. If that civilian-military alliance comes through, it will certainly have the effect of consolidating security and providing an extra measure of stability to the country.
He needs this alliance as he seeks another term in office while retaining the post of army chief. It's by no means clear at this stage if parliament will accept his proposition and agree to revise the constitution to give him the legitimacy he needs.
But civilian-military collaboration is essential for Pakistan if it pursues economic stability. The continued unrest undermines efforts to rebuild the economy as a linchpin to stable governance. The rapid economic success in neighboring India, with which it has warred on three occasions, makes it all the more imperative for Pakistan to forge an economic strategy for survival. In the past few years under Musharraf, the economy has recovered a measure of growth, expanding by 4 to 5 percent a year under leadership of technocrat Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, a former banker.
Such economic improvements allow the government to push ahead with social reforms in other sectors, especially in the area of education. If the recent Red Mosque clashes demonstrated anything, it was the burning need for overhauling the existing madrassah schools, where teaching consists of rote learning of the Koran. As these Muslim boarding schools are mostly under control of Islamists, students fall prey to extremist indoctrination. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we have seen such youngsters wearing explosive belts for suicide bombing missions.
In the end, it's the security that allows a country to focus on economy. Unless Musharraf stands firm and delivers on security, Pakistan runs the risk of repeating coups and poverty that in turn breed more extremism.
By Shim Jae-hoon
Shim Jae-hoon is a Seoul-based journalist and commentator. He can be reached at shimjaehoon@hotmail.com
