Comment

United States-based Pakistan historian Ayesha Jalal, has has just published Partisans of Allah: Jihad in South Asia. The Mary Richardson professor of history at Tufts University examines the intricate dynamics of the internal politics in Pakistan in the wake of the move of the decision of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to initiate impeachment procedure against president Pervez Musharraf. She spoke to Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr, while on a short visit to India

Why have the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chosen this point to impeach president Pervez Musharraf?
Relations between the civilian government and the president have been simmering for some months now. The PPP and PML-N did not have the required numbers to pursue the impeachment till now. They have managed to muster the numbers by getting some of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) elements in the senate on to their side.

The establishment in Pakistan has been showing up civilian governments to be more incompetent than they really are. The presidency has been intervening in the administration. So, it had become necessary for the civilian government to assert its authority and this was the perfect way of doing it.

Is this the politics of vendetta, characteristic of parties in power in Pakistan?
This is not so much a politics of vendetta as a way of establishing the politics of accountability. If you look carefully at the charges against Musharraf, you will notice that it refers only to the post-election period.

Will this set a precedent in establishing the national assembly’s authority over the president?
Yes. It will help in empowering the parliament and strengthening the prime minister. The impeachment of Musharraf will help in that. But there have to be many more events like that and more hurdles have to be crossed before the civilian authority can be established.

Is this a political ploy on the part of PPP and PML-N?
It is a political ploy. The PPP’s and its leader Asif Zardari’s popularity graph has been declining sharply while that of the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif is soaring. The PML-N has been talking of charging Musharraf. So Zardari had to act. There must have been a lot of behind-the-scenes decisions that must have taken place.

Zardari is asking Musharraf to go for a vote of confidence in the national assembly. He has not opted directly for impeachment.Musharraf cannot obviously do it because he does not have the numbers on his side. It is a sign to Musharraf to resign and walk away.

The other question is who will be the next president. I am sure that a secret understanding has been reached on this point as well. It could be Zardari, or someone whom Zardari approves of.

What will the army’s stance be?
The stand of the army is very crucial. The important man to be watched in Pakistan today is General Pervez Ashraf Kiyani. Kiyani does not want Musharraf to continue.

He would prefer a change of guard. But he would not want Musharraf to be humiliated through the impeachment process. He was a former army chief. But the army will have no problems if Musharraf steps down and walks away with his dignity intact. The army will support the civilian government.

Do you think that Musharraf would use his presidential power to dissolve the national assembly?
He has that option before him but it would plunge the country into chaos if he does that. Musharraf is not popular in the country.

What about the Americans?
Let us face reality. What America says is important for Pakistan. I think Americans feel that Musharraf has outlived his utility though once he was the most trusted man for them.

After this, will political parties will get back togovernance?
There is an uneasy equation between the two coalition partners. So there will be some issue or other on which they will part ways. You know how difficult it is to run coalitions. The Indian experience shows that clearly.

Is this a Punjab-Sind rivalry?
No. The PPP is a federal party. It is not confined to Sind. In the next elections both parties will try to capture Punjab because its the most importance province in the country. Right now, the PML-N is ruling there, but there is a PPP governor. The PPP would want to improve its hold in Punjab.

Do you think that Musharraf can lead a normal retired life?
Musharraf is a walking-talking security risk. He cannot lead a normal life. That is why there are rumours about his going away either to the US or
to Turkey.