Pakistan caught in a maze
PAKISTAN remains in a state of siege from a number of quarters. In these past few weeks, conditions have deteriorated on essentially two fronts. On the one hand, the spate of bombings which has been a regular feature in various areas of the country in the last one year has continued, with explosions occurring on and off. The latest of these destructive occurrences have been the blasts at the Ashura procession in Karachi, which has left scores of people killed and hundreds injured. That the Pakistani authorities have so far been unable to identify or nab the perpetrators of the grisly incident and that people have been pointing fingers at one another demonstrates the sense of panic Pakistanis today happen to be going through.
On the other hand, there are the grave realities which Pakistan faces in the political arena. With the Supreme Court recently declaring null and void the National Reconciliation Ordinance earlier brought in by the Pervez Musharraf regime, the country is in fresh turmoil. The NRO was basically a dropping of charges of corruption against a number of politicians, largely from the Pakistan People's Party, towards the end of 2007 when a beleaguered General Pervez Musharraf saw little choice other than letting Benazir Bhutto back into active politics. Now that the NRO has been shot down by a very assertive judiciary led by Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, it is President Asif Ali Zardari's future that is in question. That he holds the presidency grants him immunity from prosecution, but already demands are being raised for his resignation in order for the law to revive the corruption cases against him. Zardari has refused to oblige his critics, but there is little question that he is a much diminished president today. Add to that the arrest warrant issued against the interior minister and the fact that the defence minister has been barred from leaving the country. It is the very legitimacy of the government that has come into question.
Matters are not helped any by the restiveness in such provinces as Baluchistan. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has just demanded an investigation into the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in a military operation ordered by Musharraf a few years ago. In the north-west, the Taliban are by no means a spent force yet. It does not look as if Pakistan will emerge from the maze any time soon.
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