Русская версияPervez Musharraf has recognized -- rather late -- that the game is
over.
In the end, there was no one left to support him.
Not the
parliamentarians in his own party. Not the army, which he led for
more than a decade. Not his long-time allies Washington, George
Bush and Dick Cheney. And above all, not the Pakistani people, some
80 percent of whom demanded his resignation, according to the most
recent polls.
Musharraf's tactics worked for nearly a decade, and put him at the
top of political power. His crowning achievement was to sell
himself to the West as their indispensible ally in the "war on
terror," in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
In Pakistan, where many people celebrated his putsch, he remained
popular for a long time, above all among middle and upper-class
liberals. They saw him as a moderate reformer who would reign in
putative radical Islamists. Of course, the influential
military also profited a great deal under the long leadership of
the general, especially financially.
A difficult opponent in Chaudhry
But in March 2007, his political structures started to collapse
like a house of cards. It became clearer and clearer that Pervez
Musharraf had but a single political interest: Pervez Musharraf.
The president took on Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry,
who was becoming too independent for his tastes -- and who
consistently appealed for the rule of law.
Bildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Thomas Baerthlein
Not only the judges and lawyers, but the media, civic society,
political parties and hundreds of thousands of citizens showed
solidarity with Chaudhry. They forced Musharraf to step down as
commander in chief of the army this past autumn, and made him
hold free elections in February.
In the end, it was a democratic movement, and it lends Musharraf's
resignation on Monday, Aug. 18, historic dimensions. Democracy in
Pakistan has won a dramatic power struggle.
Army's political role is changing
The Pakistani constitution is contradictory in that, on the one
hand, it gives parliament the possibility to impeach its president,
but also gives the president the power to dissolve parliament. But
Musharraf's extreme isolation meant he couldn't even resort to that
option.
The power struggle wasn't only between democrats and Musharraf. His
power had a lot to do with the political role of the army. His
resignation is likely to strengthen civil institutions in relation
to the armed forces over the long term.
What has Musharraf left behind? In the end, the legacy of his rule
appears likely to be more positive than it would currently appear.
Musharraf brought about a singular liberalization, particularly in
the electronic media sector -- even if he sometimes did it against
his will. Society modernized thanks to a long-lasting economic
revival. Moderates in Pakistan are clearly stronger than they were
before his putsch in 1999. Musharraf also played a decisive role in
the peace process with neighboring India, where he is significantly
more popular than he is at home.
Strengthening Islamic militants
On the negative side, there were authoritarian and often
contradictory policies, especially in the so-called war on terror.
Under Musharraf, Pakistani intelligence officers let hundreds of
their countrymen "disappear." Sometimes the air force would bomb
supposed militant enclaves. But there was also the unmistakable
feeling that the intelligence community supported extremists, when
that would play a useful role in internal political power
struggles.
This turned out to be a terribly counterproductive course of action
when it came to dealing with extremist ideologues and militant
insurgents like the Taliban. It made the Islamists martyrs in the
eyes of many, and gave most Pakistanis the impression that the
battle against the Taliban was only being waged on Washington's
orders.
The only way out of this is true democracy. The parliament and the
independent court system must be strengthened in order to stand up
to the strong domestic and foreign forces that are used to pulling
the behind-the-scenes strings of Pakistani politics.
Musharraf's political heirs are inheriting an enormous
responsibility.
(Deutsche Welle)
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