<i>Future of Pakistan</i>

Photo: AFP

I write with reference to the letter from Mr. Mahmood Elahi titled "Future of Pakistan." While it is true that extremism and sectarianism pose a serious challenge to Pakistan, I disagree with the author's assertion that "Al-Qaeda / Taliban enjoy considerable support amongst the masses" of Pakistan, a deduction reached by the author by pointing to Bin Laden's supposed "popularity" in Pakistan. I believe the results of opinion polls suggesting "support" for Bin Laden need to be investigated thoroughly before reaching any firm conclusion as to their findings.
But what greater evidence does one need to debunk this contention than to look at the hundreds of thousands of people who came to welcome Benazir Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan on October 18, 2007? What about the massive receptions she got all over the country, in every province, including the NWFP? Despite always being opposed by the security establishment with the scales heavily tilted against them, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has consistently managed to win a strong chunk of votes in every election since its establishment in 1967. Even in the deeply flawed and rigged 2002 elections, the PPP got around 29% of votes, the highest in the country. If anyone has the support of the masses in Pakistan, it was Benazir Bhutto and what she stood for. How can there be such broad based support for a liberal woman in a country where terrorist outfits or the Taliban enjoy popular support?
Further, religious parties have hardly polled more than 3-4% of the popular vote in all elections in the country except 2002. The reason why religious parties polled 11% of the 2002 vote was a reaction to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Mr. Musharraf's sidelining of the mainstream political parties, creating a vacuum filled by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) of Qazi Hussain Ahmed in the NWFP and to some extent in Baluchistan. I believe the 2008 elections, currently being rigged by the current regime, will still result in a considerably diminished presence of the religious political parties in the country. In the NWFP, we are likely to witness the rise of the secular Awami National Party (ANP) of Asfandyar Wali Khan. The people of Pakistan are overwhelmingly conservative and religious, but it would be wrong to assume that the brand of Islam favoured by the Taliban has broad-based support in the country apart from certain specific areas / districts.
As to Mr. Elahi's comment on why many people in Pakistan suspect the involvement of what is known as the "Establishment" in Pakistan, the government's inadequate security arrangements for Ms. Bhutto (despite repeated demands from her), clearing the crime scene within 90 minutes of the attack resulting in loss of evidence, its non-serious & callous attitude after the assassination and preposterous lies such as the so-called "lever theory" are some of the reasons why Mr. Musharraf's unconstitutional regime has no credibility throughout the country.
Pakistan's problems, including extremism in all its manifestations, can only be solved by a genuine civilian government in the presence of an independent judiciary and free media, with every state institution not venturing beyond its constitutional role. The current dispensation, headed by a man who has become a symbol of hatred for most Pakistanis, cannot handle the multi-faced, complex challenges faced by this country.