| February 19, 2008 | by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Ali Frick, and Benjamin Armbruster Contact Us | Tell-a-Friend | Archives | Permalink |
Bush's Strongman Repudiated
In "a tense nationwide vote" yesterday, "Pakistanis dealt a crushing defeat to President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections." Though official results have yet to be released, early returns projected "significant victories" for the country's two leading opposition parties, and Musharraf's party has already conceded defeat. "Almost all the leading figures in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the party that has governed for the last five years under Mr. Musharraf, lost their seats" while "the two main opposition parties appeared to have swept the vote." But neither party is expected to win an outright majority, setting the stage for a coalition government. Following Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in November and the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December, yesterday's elections were not expected to go smoothly due to security concerns and the weakened state of Pakistan's democratic institutions. With fear of violence prevalent, "voters did not turn out in large numbers" yesterday, but compared to expectations, the level of violence was relatively low as "ten people were killed and 70 injured around the country." Nonetheless, "the Election Commission of Pakistan declared the elections free and fair" and all the parties are "already coming to terms" with the results, which are being interpreted as "a repudiation of Mr. Musharraf as well as the Bush administration."
MUSHARRAF REBUKED: Musharraf, who came to power in an October 1999 military coup and was re-elected as president in October 2007, "has seen his standing plummet as the country has faced a determined insurgency by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and a deteriorating economy." "Politicians and party workers from Mr. Musharraf's party said the vote was a protest against government policies and the rise in terrorism" in Pakistan while others note that Musharraf's "dismissal last year" of the Supreme Court's chief justice "was deeply unpopular with the voters." On state-run Pakistan Television yesterday, Musharraf announced that "everyone should accept the results. That includes myself." Depending on the makeup of the new government, Musharraf could face impeachment for imposing emergency rule last year, which included putting political opponents under house arrest. At least one leader -- ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, whose party will gain many seats in parliament -- "has been especially outspoken in demanding that Musharraf be removed and that the Supreme Court justices whom the president sacked late last year be returned to their posts." Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's widow and her successor as the leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), "has not ruled out working with Mr Musharraf," but other leaders in the party "have said that they cannot work with Mr Musharraf and will try to impeach him if they win a two-thirds majority."
BUSH'S BLIND SUPPORT: President Bush has long insisted that Musharraf is a "strong friend and ally" in the war on terror and "the spread of democracy and freedom." But the "billions of dollars and years of unconditional support" that the White House has given Musharraf placed too much focus on an individual leader while ignoring "a broader approach that seeks to support institutions and develop the entire country." As recently as last month, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher "told Congress he considered the Pakistani leader indispensable to American interests." "We have to have more than just a Musharraf policy," said Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) on Sunday as he arrived in Pakistan to observe to elections. The White House's unconditional support of the Pakistani president "often raised the hackles of Pakistanis," as newspapers across Pakistan "were filled with editorials that expressed despair about Washington's close relationship with the unpopular leader." Many Pakistanis "were irritated that the Bush administration chose to ignore Mr. Musharraf’s dismissal in November of the Supreme Court chief justice" while continuing to praise him "as a valued partner in the effort against terrorism."
BILLIONS IN AID: Since 9/11, the Bush administration has "poured about $1 billion a year in military assistance into Pakistan." But the money has not always been used for what the White House intended. "An internal policy review" last year "found that money that was supposed to go to counter-terrorist initiatives to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban was at times diverted to pay for weapons systems aimed at Pakistan's regional rival, India." American aid to Pakistan have largely been made "in the form of direct cash transfers" of $200 million annually to Musharraf's government and $100 million monthly to the military, which has given Pakistan "greater flexibility on how to use the money" while sacrificing "accountability" for America's investment. Following last year's review, the administration switched "how it provides some of its financial support to Pakistan, diverting the "annual $200 million cash payment to Pakistan's treasury to programs administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development." Such a change in strategy is a "positive sign" according to Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Brian Katulis, but the United States "must be careful how it exercises its leverage in Pakistan. Yesterday's elections are "a starting point for a new policy." The United States could make "a dramatic shift" in it's approach to Pakistan, which should include increased investment "in Pakistan's democratic institutions" and efforts to engage the nation as a whole rather than a single leader.
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