Musharraf in the Middle�Again

By BRYAN WALSH Tuesday, Apr. 09, 2002

He has authority at home, respect abroad and the gold card of 21st century international politics�U.S. military backing. But there's one thing that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has never had: an election. For a man who seized power two and a half years ago in a military coup, elections are dangerous. You can never be quite sure how they'll turn out.

Musharraf bought himself some insurance against the uncertain forces of politics last week when he announced plans to hold, instead of open and competitive elections, a referendum in May to extend his rule for five more years. The general is confident that public opinion and his increased international stature will carry him to victory. Analysts aren't sure. Pakistan's major political parties�former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League�have rejected the referendum as unconstitutional. Voter turnout is likely to be spare, which could bring embarrassing comparisons to Pakistan's last military dictator, General Zia ul-Haq, whose 1984 referendum generated widespread apathy.

Should Pervez Musharraf continue to rule Pakistan for the next five years?

More worrisome is the possibility that Musharraf, with no nationwide political organization to back him, may cozy up to the extremist Islamic groups he's been trying to restrain. He'll win the referendum of his choosing, but if doing so emboldens the forces of Islamic extremism, that victory could end up Pyrrhic.

Today's a Great Day to Buy a Used AK
By SIMON ROBINSON

Is Afghanistan getting ready for peace? You might think so, judging by how the price of weapons is plummeting on the streets of Bagram, outside Kabul. The town, which encompasses the base where U.S. and coalition forces are ensconced, has become a favorite of small-time weapons dealers peddling knives, Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenades. One dealer tried to interest a Time reporter in a Kalashnikov for the bargain price of $200, with 100 rounds thrown in "to close the sale." The man, who identified himself only as Abdul, said he wouldn't need his weapons anymore. "Peace has come to Afghanistan," he says. "The King is coming home, and people are sick of fighting." Prices have dropped nearly 50% since December, but not just because the war is winding down. Many Afghans, fearing the U.S. and the U.N. will soon begin collecting weapons, are trying to sell them quickly for whatever they can get. Still, arms are hardly scarce. Lakhdar Brahimi, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative in Afghanistan, says America's use of local fighters to take on the Taliban and al-Qaeda has exacerbated the weapons problem. "You have more arms, not less," he says. "While we're collecting (old) arms, there are more arms being distributed."