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| Excited: Mohammed Hafeez says he stayed up until 4 a.m. watching election results on
television. Mark Sappenfield |
Pakistanis reject Musharraf rule, embrace new direction
The opposition wins by a landslide in a surprisingly smooth election, as Musharraf allies concede defeat.
from the February 20, 2008 edition
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"I am very happy," says Mohammed Amjad Habib, smiling between handfuls of rice at a streetside Lahore restaurant. Echoing many others, he adds: The vote "was an expression of anger against PML-Q."
His hope, like that of most Pakistanis, is that Pakistan's two largest parties, the PPP and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) will form a unity government. Projections of the still-unfinished count suggest these two parties could control two-thirds of the seats in parliament if they join with several other small allies.
Abida Hussain, a senior PPP official, expects that to happen. "It is safe to answer that PPP and PML-N … will form a coalition," she says. The formation of a new governing coalition is expected to be concluded in the next few days.
While it is difficult to predict how such an alliance might address US interests here, it seems certain that it would attempt to project a stronger image of independence than Musharraf has. Pakistanis overwhelmingly feel that America is bullying Pakistan into fighting a war against its own people in the tribal areas.
They would prefer a different approach, with more of an emphasis on negotiation. Analysts expect the new government to take that line. While the substance of the fight against terror will remain, "what will happen is that the nuances, and the public posturing will be different," says Mr. Mahmood, the columnist.
One of the only stumbling blocks to a grand alliance between the PPP and PML-N could be the issue of the more than 60 judges – including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry – whom Musharraf sacked during his emergency rule late last year. While all opposition parties condemned the move, only PML-N made restoration of the judges a primary campaign platform.
For her part, Ms. Hussain expects to see her PPP unite with PML-N in demanding restoration. If true, the situation would underscore the precariousness of Musharraf's situation.
In November, he resigned his post as Army chief under intense international and domestic pressure – losing his greatest source of support. Now, his allies in parliament have been dealt a comprehensive defeat, leaving him alone.
"Now very much depends on him," says Mr. Rahman, the political analyst. "How is he going to accept the attitude of the people?"
It is the moment that opposition parties have been waiting for since Mr. Sharif was overthrown by Musharraf in a bloodless coup in 1999. Prior to that, 10 years of civilian rule was a debacle beset by chronic infighting and corruption. After nearly a decade in exile, however, Bhutto's widower and head of the PPP, Asif Zardari, and Sharif, in particular, give the impression that they have matured as statesmen.
Says Hussain of the PPP: "What they have learned is that politicians need to tolerate each other."
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