'Musharraf is Pushing Us Backward'

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Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2002
I naively thought that the era of power-hungry Generals lording it over governments and nations had passed with the end of the 20th century. But today, a power-hungry General is again riding roughshod over a country and the hopes and aspirations of its people.

General Pervez Musharraf seized power in my native Pakistan by overthrowing the elected Prime Minister of the time. Now, instead of legitimately running for office, he has held an illegal referendum to perpetuate his illegal rule. In Pakistan, the President is chosen by a democratically elected Parliament that represents the people. Musharraf has bypassed that process. Pakistan's constitution does not allow for referendums in which the people are asked to vote to extend the term of office of the country's leader.

	Should Pervez Musharraf continue to rule Pakistan for the next five years? Yes No Not Sure

Even if Musharraf's referendum were constitutionally sound, the people were given no choice: he was the one and only candidate. The referendum weakens us as a nation. The difference between a civilized society and a barbaric society is the rule of law. Robbing people of the right of self-governance robs a citizen of his self-respect. It is an affront to individual liberty.

Musharraf is abusing his power because he wants to stay in power. During his nearly three years at Pakistan's helm—as long as those of many of the political leaders he is fond of criticizing—Musharraf has used the state's institutions to remain at the top. He has not surrendered his position as army Chief. He is using Pakistan's armed forces cynically to prop himself up at a time when the country is in a state of tension due to the geostrategic situation. The war against terror has benefited Musharraf so far. Perhaps he thinks that the longer it continues, the better for him. He still possesses a commando mentality. It makes him unfit for the art of compromise and consensus so important in creating a society based on the will of the people. Commandos are trained to go it alone. Political leaders are trained to win friends and win votes through persuasion.

Continued dictatorship condemns us to continued impoverishment. Under Musharraf, Pakistan has witnessed its economy collapse and its people grow poorer. It has become subject to greater external threats and further internal instability.

This reminds me of the period under another military dictator, Zia ul-Haq, the man who executed my father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. We ended up with a lawless society plagued by a drug culture, a Kalashnikov culture, sectarianism and banditry. We are still trying to recover from those ills. Now, Musharraf is pushing us backward again.