Pakistanis question Musharraf 7 years after coup

Islamabad, Oct 11: Having welcomed General Pervez Musharraf when he came to power in a coup seven years ago, many Pakistanis are wondering just how long he intends to stay, but the army's loyalty, and a flawed polity, gives them little say.

He has marginalised the main political parties, many analysts believe the Islamist parties have been suborned into a friendly opposition, and there are no popular movements to speak of.

His controversial decision to retain his role as army chief after getting parliamentary endorsement for his presidency in 2003, is a big reason his rule remains unchallenged.

''The army remains the main source of his strength,'' said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based analyst.

Musharraf's problem is that he's squandered a lot of the popular goodwill that he had in the early years of his rule, after he seized power on Oct. 12, 1999, when people were fed up with elected leaders regarded as corrupt and inept.

''There is no doubt that he is not as popular as he was when he took over power,'' said Talat Masood, a retired general and analyst.

''He has done many things, and he has not done many other things which have spoiled his image.'' He's failed to effect a reconciliation with former political leaders, and with a general election due late next year many people doubt his claim of building democracy from the grassroots.

The political party Musharraf uses to exert his will lacks cohesion and is wedded to a conservatism at odds with his own more moderate vision of a progressive Muslim state.

Many people were thankful Musharraf guided the country through a crisis post-September. 11, 2001, when, according to him, the United States threatened to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age.

But they also ask whether Musharraf, who survived two al Qaeda inspired assassination attempts in December 2003, should be doing so much to support the US-led war on terrorism.

The use of the army against pro-Taliban Pakistani tribesmen in Waziristan caused unease among people generally, and the army in particular, as several hundred soldiers were killed. The use of overwhelming force to put down a revolt led by an aged tribal leader in the province of Baluchistan this year caused more angst, notably among political parties allied to Musharraf.

And while Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz point to Pakistan's vastly improved macroeconomic indicators, ordinary Pakistanis point to prices in the shops and complain bitterly.

''NEW THINKING''? People are tired of army's role in politics. Pakistan has been ruled by generals for more than half its 59-year history.

While Musharraf was in the United States last month meeting President George W. Bush and promoting his autobiography, a nationwide power cut sparked rumours of a coup.

Musharraf laughed it off, saying: ''The army is with me ... We are not a banana republic that a coup is staged when the president is away. I have full faith in my armed forces.'' His faith is not surprising. Over the years he has appointed loyalists to the military's most sensitive positions.

''He is like a father figure for all senior officers,'' Masood said. ''He has got his people of choice. He is well-settled as far as that part is concerned.'' Nevertheless, several respected Pakistanis, including former aides and retired generals, wrote to Musharraf in July, calling on him to make the first big step toward withdrawing the army from politics by stepping down as army chief.

''Democracy can only be authentic when there is real separation of powers and when all institutions of the State abide by the roles assigned to them by the constitution,'' they said in the letter.

Analysts said it showed a current of opinion in the military not often seen.

''Serving army officers don't speak, but sometimes they speak through retired officers and this appears to be a reflection of this new thinking,'' Rizvi said. ''It appears there is a thinking now within the army that he should quit the army.'' Musharraf has given no indication that he would shed his uniform in the near future and he has made no secret of his plans to stand for another five-year term as president in 2007.

Reuters