Musharraf Polarizes Pakistan; Opposition Mobilizes

The opposition to Pervez Musharraf is taking a worrisome turn — one that Musharraf’s supporters inside and outside of Pakistan should take heed of. Those who would like to see Musharraf’s ouster have been frustrated by the prevention of him being conventionally removed. Rather than simply calling for his resignation or impeachment, some have upped the antie, calling for Musharraf to be punished under article six of the constitution, which treats the abrogation of the constitution as high treason. Musharraf, if tried and convicted, could face the penalty of death. Such talk, though not new, has increased in recent weeks as the PPP and Musharraf have gotten closer. These hardline positions do not come from the political fringe; they come from the mainstream. Today, Nawaz Sharif gave a particularly fiery speech in Lahore on the 10th anniversary of Pakistan’s first public nuclear tests, which were conducted under his premiership. Once again, he framed himself as the leader who resisted foreign pressure and approved the testing of nuclear bombs in response to neighbor and rival India. Sharif tied his decision to one of his regular themes: the loss of Pakistan’s sovereignty and dignity under the rule of Pervez Musharraf. Most importantly, he criticized attempts to keep Musharraf in power and called for applying article six on him. Sharif also said he would join the lawyers’ movement in the streets if the judges are not restored by the current government. The deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also called for article six to be applied to the PCO judges, i.e. those who took their oaths when the constitution was suspended. Similarly, Aitzaz Ahsan of the lawyers’ movement and (less so) the PPP[-Zardari] said today that if Musharraf is not removed by June 10, he will take his “long march” to the Army House (where Musharraf currently resides). A group of retired army officers also pledged to protest in front of the residence if Musharraf does not vacate it. Meanwhile, Asif Zardari appears to not be backing down. The gulf between him and Sharif seems to have grown. Zardari also said today that [his] government will combat the lawyers if necessary. But Zardari’s tryst with Musharraf is also causing problems within his party. Many oppose the idea of him meeting with Musharraf and want him to come to terms with the lawyers’ movement. Such calls come not only from Aitzaz Ahsan, but also other PPP stalwarts such as Raza Rabbani, Safdar Abbasi, Naheed Khan, and Raja Shahid Zafar. Zardari has overstretched in his powerplay. He’s pushed out some senior PPP figures out to create room for his largely unelected loyalists. At the same time, he’s been muddied by Musharraf. This could come back to haunt him. While economic troubles have slightly dampened public support for the lawyers’ movement, it seems to have had little impact on its opposition Musharraf. The former army general remains a deeply polarizing figure six months after he imposed martial law and three months after the elections in which his allies were routed. Nonetheless, he remains artificially in power. And it seems as if in June public opposition to Musharraf will take an increasingly stident, if not violent, turn. Those who have become perhaps indelibly tied with him, namely Washington and the PPP, definitely have some thinking to do.