COUNTRY REPORT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD OFFICE

MRS. ZAIB NISA 2008 Parliamentary Election – DR. BABAK KHALATBARI at the crossroads?

February 2008

Throughout its brief history of 60 years, the CJ in July, who returned to his office www.kas.de/pakistan Pakistan has frequently witnessed turbu- with great zeal, doing exactly as he saw fit www.kas.de lent times. The recent past is marked by to uphold the independence of the Judiciary. many incidents that will have a lasting The media, especially a few private televi- impact on the future of this country, sion channels, that had been reporting on founded on August 14, 1947. It seems the Lal Masjid and judicial crisis became that the year 2007 will go down in history very critical of the presidential side. This as one of the most precarious years for took the situation from bad to worse. In late Pakistan. October 2007, there were rumours that the Supreme Court was about to rule against It started off with the rise of “Talbanization” the interests of the president staying an- in the north along the frontier with Afghani- other term in office. The president inter- stan. There was a clear change of focus vened by declaring a state of emergency on within various Jihadi groups, away from November 3, 2007, and dismissed the un- Kashmir or Afghanistan, and increasingly cooperative judges. Many private TV chan- towards domestic aims, inside Pakistan. nels were shut down, as well. That same This manifested itself in torching CDs and evening, a new set of judges were sworn in Barber shops, and in numerous attacks on under the Provisional Constitutional Order girls' schools. By March of 2007 the Isla- and subsequently confirmed the president's mists had made Lal Masjid right in the heart right to hold two offices at the same time, of the capital their stronghold. They openly and Chief of Army challenged the writ of the State by getting Staff. The state of emergency was lifted 42 involved in kidnapping and blackmail. These days later on December 15, 2007, when the apparently bizarre acts developed into a president retired from the post of Chief of major crisis, and finally culminated in a mili- Army Staff (COAS), became a civilian presi- tary assault, resulting in the loss of more dent and announced parliamentary elections than one hundred lives. for January 8, 2008. Throughout this period, the militancy in the troubled region of Wa- Simultaneously, Pakistan's Chief Justice ziristan and the North-West Frontier Prov- (CJ), Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, had ince (NWFP) had been on the rise and sui- taken legal proceedings on a petition chal- cide attacks had become commonplace, lenging the constitutionality of the president particularly targeting law enforcement holding two offices at once. As a result, the agencies. The military operations against president suspended the CJ on charges of terrorists and Islamic extremists had wid- misuse of authority and corruption. The CJ ened the rift between the various sections did not yield to pressure and refused to re- of society even further. In the meantime, sign; his dedication caused him to be repri- the exiled party leaders, of manded in the Supreme Judicial Council the (PPP) and Nawaz (SJC). There was an unprecedented back- Sharif of his own faction of the Pakistan lash within the community of lawyers, civil (PML-N), were allowed to society and the media. This situation was return to Pakistan to conduct their election aggravated further, when the SJC reinstated campaigns. Bhutto was rumoured to have

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. struck a deal with the president, who in turn cused of not implementing 90 percent of SC issued a special ordinance to clear her of directives.”1 PAKISTAN corruption allegations. On her return to NISA/KHALATBARI Pakistan on October 18, 2007, Bhutto nar- In the meantime an open letter to the Chief rowly escaped a suicide attack. However, on Justice (CJ) of Pakistan by fellow Supreme February 2008 December 27, 2007 she fell victim to a sec- Court advocate and well known television ond assassination attempt after addressing presenter, Naeem Bokhari, published on www.kas.de/pakistan a rally in . The whole nation was February 16, 2007 created a controversy by www.kas.de shocked. For three days there were violent levelling allegations against the CJ. Prime protests across the country, in which many Minister now filed a reference lives were lost and property was damaged. against the CJ to President Musharraf, ac- The PPP wanted the elections to be held as cusing the CJ of misuse of power and cor- planned to take advantage of the sympathy ruption. sus- vote, but the government acted swiftly and pended the CJ, and directed the Supreme postponed the elections to February 18, Judicial Council (SJC) of Pakistan on March 2008. 09, 2007 to consider legal actions against him. It was announced that if the Chief Jus- This election, if held freely and fairly, will tice was found guilty, he would be removed determine the future course of a shattered from office, in accordance with the Constitu- nation at a crossroads. The rise of militancy tion of Pakistan. Iftikhar Mohammad is threatening the very fibre of the nation, Chaudhry was summoned to Army Camp which is presently facing numerous chal- Office, and was urged to resign. He refused, lenges, domestic as well as international. however, and opposed his own suspension The dwindling popularity of President by the president on legal grounds. Musharraf, the general perception of people that the election will be rigged and the In response to this development, there was power struggle coupled with a severe short- an unprecedented reaction from the com- age of basic foods, are all having negative munity of lawyers, which gradually grew repercussions for the ruling party, the Paki- more popular within civil society and among stan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML- political activists. Many senior judges of the Q). The PPP and to some extent the Paki- High Courts and Supreme Court resigned in stan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are ex- protest, and many lawyers boycotted the pected to profit from this situation. courts and actively took part in peaceful ral- lies and protests through-out the country. Thousands of cases piled up in the courts JUDICIAL CRISIS and the entire judicial system came to a standstill. The ousted CJ started rallying the It all started with sue moto notices by the people by addressing the Bar Councils. Pub- independent minded Chief Justice of Paki- lic approval for these rallies increased daily, stan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, oppos- with private television channels reporting ing dubious actions of certain departments extensively and voicing support. A number of the Government, chiefly the issues of the of international institutions supported the privatization of one of the largest public en- Lawyers’ movement and the International terprises, Pakistan Steel, and of missing Commission of Jurists sent a delegation to persons. “He had antagonized the executive monitor the situation in Pakistan in April when he halted the privatization of the steel 2007. President Musharraf was strongly cri- mill, and challenged the Government when ticized for his actions to remove the CJ. Ma- he demanded that the disappeared people, ny suggested, they had been undertaken, especially in Baluchistan, who had allegedly because the President was afraid that the CJ been kidnapped by state agencies and put in detention for months, be released under the habeas corpus rule. He also subpoenaed 1 Kamran Mohammad, in: The Daily Times, March and admonished the former inspector gen- 11, 2007, . eral of the Punjab police, when it was ac-

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. would not support him for a second term in Ghazi Abdur Rashid took over the admini- office as the president of Pakistan. stration of the mosque and the madrassa. PAKISTAN In their Friday prayers’ sermons, they is- NISA/KHALATBARI On the evening of May 12, 2007 the CJ and sued calls to jihad, openly denounced Presi- his delegation reached by air, but dent Musharraf and the occupation of Af- February 2008 were held up at the airport for many hours ghanistan, and voiced support for the Tali- and then ordered to return back to Islama- ban and Al-Qaeda. Over the years they ille- www.kas.de/pakistan bad. That same day some political parties gally occupied government land and ex- www.kas.de started violent demonstrations in Karachi, panded the madrassa by constructing a where many innocent lives were lost. The number of buildings. The complex is known law enforcement agencies looked helpless. as Jamia Hafsa. In early 2007, a group of Again, the executive was strongly criticized militant girls even occupied the building of of across society. As a result, the govern- the Government Children’s Library and con- ment prohibited some TV channels from re- verted it into an Islamic children’s library. porting live from the lawyers’ rallies. How- At the same time they began harassing un- ever, the CJ was not deterred, and visited veiled or bareheaded women, as well as the many Bar Associations throughout the coun- owners of music and CD shops. Historically try. On July 18, before the CJ arrived to ad- these clerics have maintained good relations dress the Bar Council, a suicide with a number of influential people within attack took another 15 innocent lives. government and political circles, and were thus able to smuggle many weapons and The CJ was finally reinstated on July 20, ammunition into the mosque. The two Mau- 2007 by the order of the Supreme Court of lana brothers proclaimed the right to en- Pakistan. He had not been changed, and as force Sharia (Islamic Law) in Pakistan by expected he ordered the relevant agencies coercion and blackmail. to release many missing persons. Proceed- ings were brought against the president, The situation began to escalate in January challenging his intention to hold two offices 2007, when the Islamabad Police tried to simultaneously. However, before the Su- prevent a consignment of ammunition on its preme Court could issue its verdict, General way into the mosque. They arrested the Musharraf declared a state of emergency culprits who were later not only released, November 3, 2007, suspended the constitu- but the ammunition was also permitted into tion and issued a new Provisional Constitu- the mosque by the orders of a top level tional Order (PCO). Justice Iftikhar Moham- minister. Afterwards law enforcement mad Chaudhry reacted promptly, convening agents were kidnapped and CD shops not a seven-member bench, which issued an ad only in Peshawar, but also in Islamabad interim order against this action. He also were burned down. In early March 2007 ordered the armed forces of Pakistan not to they kidnapped a lady named 'Auntie obey any illegal orders. However, it was too Shamim' and one of her relatives. They had late and the entered the Su- a different faith and were held hostage for preme Court building and removed the CJ many days. In a press conference the ladies and several other judges from the premises. were accused of managing a brothel and A total of 13 judges were suspended and were forced to confess their sins before they the CJ and many others were put under were released. The situation further esca- house arrest. lated, when the students of these seminar- ies raided an acupuncture clinic run by Chi- nese nationals and kidnapped the employ- LAL MASJID CRISIS ees, among them women. To prove their The Lal Masjid (red mosque), built in 1965 power, the supporters of the Lal Masjid cler- by Maulana Qari Abdullah has always been ics killed three Chinese in Peshawar. The a centre for the Deobandi school of Islamic Chinese foreign ministry called on Pakistan teaching. After the assassination of Qari to “mete out severe punishment to the Abdullah inside the Lal Masjid in 1998, his two sons Maulana Abdul Aziz and Maulana

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. criminals responsible.”2 The Lal Masjid was gered a series of suicide bombings that is completely under siege in the first week of still ongoing. Secondly, a large segment of PAKISTAN July 2007, while negotiations went on with the population in Pakistan (wrongly) saw NISA/KHALATBARI the insurgents inside. Instead of using as this as a struggle of the state versus relig- much restraint as the security forces, the ion. The Muttahida -e-Amal (MMA), a February 2008 militants set fire to the building of the Minis- conglomerate of six religious parties form- try of the Environment nearby. The gov- ing the NWFP Government and is well- www.kas.de/pakistan ernment was left with no option but to re- represented in the National Assembly of www.kas.de taliate. Gradually the fighting intensified Pakistan, declared a three-day mourning and the older of the Maulana brothers was period for those killed during Operation Si- captured while trying to escape under a lence, while various Ulema blamed General Burqa. The government negotiated the re- Musharraf for failing to negotiate with Mau- lease of over 1,200 students held hostage in lana Ghazi Abdul Rashid and the students the mosque. Maulana Ghazi Abdur Rashid remaining inside the mosque. refused any other form of compromise, however. Even Maulana Fazlur Rahman, leader of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e Islam, accused STATE OF EMERGENCY Ghazi of being obstinate. Those who tried to negotiate with him included Maulana Abdul The state of emergency had its genesis in Sattar and Bilqees Edhi and some of the the judicial crisis where the executive feared country’s other respected Ulema, but Ghazi the independent minded and powerful chief remained adamant. He and the militants justice who had been actively engaged in with him fired on parents who came to the legally pursuing unconstitutional, corrupt or mosque to see their children. Ghazi and his generally dubious acts of the state execu- group were severely isolated from the na- tive and the intelligence apparatus in par- tion as a whole. No leaders of eminent ma- ticular. The situation came to a point of no drases in the country came to their support. return, when the Supreme Court initiated The support they did receive came from the hearings on a petition, which challenged the politically motivated Ulema and those Pro- constitutionality of nominating General Per- Taliban elements in the Federally Adminis- vez Musharraf to run for president. Islama- tered Tribal Areas (FATA) who were already bad was abuzz with rumours that General in a virtual state of war with Pakistan’s se- Pervez Musharraf will be declared ineligible curity forces. A final but inconclusive round to hold two offices at once. The court gave of talks was held between the Lal Masjid a preliminary ruling that polling for the elec- clerics and the Interior Minister, Aftab Ah- tion for president (held on October 6, 2007) med Sherpao, on July 10, 2007, in which may be carried out. However, it also stated the clerics demanded the release of a num- that the official confirmation of the result ber of wanted Taliban, whom the agencies will be contingent upon the final ruling of had in custody, and safe passage for certain the Supreme Court on the matter. Mean- militants, including foreign nationals. while the deadline of November 15, 2007, by which the president was to relinquish the In “Operation Silence” a special counter- post of COAS was approaching fast. In this terrorism unit entered the Lal Masjid com- context it can be said that when General plex in the early morning of July 11, 2007. Pervez Musharraf imposed the state of After heavy resistance by the occupiers, the emergency, he was reacting to prevent any compound was taken. In this operation such move by the Supreme Court, rather more than one hundred lives were lost and than acting out of his own initiative. In the many were injured. The Lal Masjid tragedy evening on November 3, 2007 a Provisional had severe repercussions. Firstly, it Constitutional Order (PCO) was issued by strengthened the ranks of the Jihadi organi- the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, declar- zations, especially the Taliban, and trig- ing a state of emergency, which included the dismissal of Justice Iftikhar Mohammad

Chaudhry along with 13 other justices. An- 2 other sitting justice of the Supreme Court of The Dawn, July 10, 2007.

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Pakistan, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar was THE ASSASSINATION OF BENAZIR BHUT- appointed to Chief Justice of Pakistan. Sev- TO AND ITS AFTERMATH PAKISTAN eral other judges were appointed as Jus- NISA/KHALATBARI tices. They took the oath of office under the When viewers turned on their televisions in PCO that very evening. Simultaneously, the the evening of December 27th 2007 in Paki- February 2008 Chief Justices of Lahore, Peshawar and stan, they were shocked and horrified to Sindh High Courts, along with several learn that Benazir Bhutto had been assassi- www.kas.de/pakistan judges, were dismissed and new Chief Jus- nated at a public rally at Liaqat Bagh, Ra- www.kas.de tices and Associate Judges were appointed walpindi. Educated at Oxford and Harvard, to the high courts. The state of emergency two times Prime Minister of Pakistan and also suspended civil rights and imposed re- charismatic leader of the largest organized strictions on several TV news channels. The political party of the country, Benazir was newly constituted Supreme Court later on the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, another confirmed the election of Pervez Musharraf charismatic former Prime Minister. The PPP as president of Pakistan. was and is the only large political party in Pakistan with moderate and secular tenden- There was an immediate backlash and the cies that is clearly committed to tolerance community of lawyers, led by the bar asso- and takes an anti-terrorist position both ciations, media and members of civil soci- domestically and internationally. Benazir ety, began to protest the imposition of the Bhutto went into self-imposed exile in 1999 PCO, but nothing could deter the president. to avoid corruption charges and had re- Finally under national and international cently returned thanks to a USA-brokered pressure, on 29th November 2007 the pre- deal with General Musharraf, under which sident stepped own from the post as Chief he issued a National Reconciliation Ordi- of Staff and passed the baton on to the new nance (NRO) aimed at nullifying the corrup- COAS General Parvez Kayani. The state of tion charges pending against her and other emergency was lifted after 42 days on De- persons in Pakistani and Swiss courts, in cember 15, 2007 and the constitution was return for her support for his “Enlightened restored, including the new amendments Moderation Agenda” against extremism and made by President Musharraf, securing cer- terrorism. tain additional powers for himself. It is quite clear that since the imposition of the state Bhutto eventually distanced herself from the of emergency, everything has worked ac- alleged agreement and took a clear position cording to the president’s wishes. He im- against undemocratic actions of the presi- posed emergency rule while still army chief dent and the establishment, and demanded and put the constitution on hold. The judici- his resignation. By her own assessment on ary was shackled, the freedom media was October 19, 2007 after the suicide attack on restricted and all extra-constitutional pow- the welcoming rally for her in Karachi, whe- ers assumed by the army chief under emer- re nearly 150 innocent lives were lost, Bhut- gency rule were transferred to himself as to said that no fewer than four different president. groups wanted her dead within hours after her return. “There was one suicide squad He abandoned his military uniform only af- from the Taleban elements, one from al- ter the post-PCO Supreme Court endorsed Qaeda, one from Pakistani Taleban and the his re-election as the head of state in uni- fourth – a group I (Benazir Bhutto] believe, form by the outgoing . He amen- from Karachi.”3 ded the constitution to cover all actions ta- ken by him since November 3, 2007, before Incidentally in a letter to the president da- finally restoring the constitution in an ted October 16, 2007, she explicitly accused amended form. All these actions remain highly controversial.

3 www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2 696680.ece, February 07, 2008.

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. high ranking officials from within the estab- National Assembly consists of 342 Seats in- lishment, such as Punjab chief minister Per- cluding 60 seats reserved for Women and PAKISTAN vaiz Elahi, former Sindh chief minister Ar- 10 Seats reserved for Non-Muslims. The NISA/KHALATBARI bab Ghulam Rahim, Intelligence Bureau Senate consists of 100 Members including chief Ijaz Shah and former Inter-Services 17 Seats reserved for Women and 17 Seats February 2008 Intelligence chief Hameed Gul of having reserved for Technocrats and Ulema. The plotted against her. The Taliban issued a members of the National Assembly are elec- www.kas.de/pakistan formal denial of being involved in the assas- ted for a term of five years whereas the www.kas.de sination; there was a strong indication that members of the Senate are elected for a it could have been the work of Jihadi term of six years with alternating elections groups, as they have many objectives in every three years. Members of the National common. Bhutto’s assassination led to a Assembly and Provincial Assemblies are wave of violent protests all over the coun- elected in a direct election by secret ballot try, in which at least 47 people were killed in a constituency on a first-past-the-post and property worth millions of dollars was system. The candidate who receives the destroyed. The violence was particularly se- highest number of votes in a constituency, vere in the province of Sindh, a PPP strong- is declared as elected as a Member of the hold. The PPP recovered quickly from this National or a Provincial Assembly.5 Although immense loss and on the third day after the the total number of political parties regis- assassination, the leadership of the PPP an- tered with the Election Commission of Paki- nounced the name of Benazir Bhutto’s 19 stan is 59, out of these only 5 parties can year old son Bilawal as the new Chairman be considered as major actors, based on the and Bhutto’s spouse as Co- results of the last parliamentary elections. Chairman.4 The PPP wanted elections as These major political parties are the Paki- soon as possible in order to take advantage stan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim of what could be a big sympathy vote. If the League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Mus- election had gone ahead as planned in lim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q), Mutta- January, the PPP would have probably hida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) which includes emerged with a sweeping majority. How- the influential Jamiat-e-Islami (JI) and ever, on January 02, 2008 the Chief Elec- Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), and Mutta- tion Commissioner announced the post- hida Quami Movement (MQM). ponement of the elections, stating that vio- lent protests had directly affected the or- The PPP is a centre-left political party and ganisation of the poll and that, after con- was founded in 1967 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, sulting its staff around the country, the a former prime minister of Pakistan and the election commission had decided the situa- father of the recently assassinated Benazir tion was "not conducive" to holding the Bhutto. The PPP was the ruling party from election on time. The new date for election 1972-1977, 1989-1990, and 1993-1996. day was set for February 18, 2008. Although a Federalist Party with roots in all four provinces, Northern Area & Azad Jam- mu and Kashmir, the PPP is particularly 2008 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS strong in rural Sindh, southern Punjab and the areas with a dominance of minorities. In The parliament of Pakistan has two Houses: the 2002 general election, the PPP won 25% the National Assembly and the Senate. The of the votes.

PML-N: The Pakistan Muslim League was 4 Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, born September 21, 1988 founded in 1962, as a successor to the pre- attended Froebels International School in Islama- viously disbanded Muslim League. The 'N' bad, Pakistan. Later he attended Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, where he was Vice President of the student council. Currently he studies history at

Christ Church, the same Oxford University College 5 that his grandfather attended. His mother also was www.elections.com.pk/partylist.php a graduate of the Oxford University.

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. was added in 1993, and stands for its lea- jority of Taliban has been educated der, . His party was in power in /indoctrinated at religious seminaries run by PAKISTAN 1999 when Chief of Army Staff and current various leaders of MMA. In the 2002 general NISA/KHALATBARI president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf re- election, the MMA won 11.3% of the votes. moved him from office and sent him into February 2008 exile. Primary support for the PML-N comes MQM: The Mohajir Qaumi Movement from the urban centres of central Punjab, (Mohajir People’s Movement) was estab- www.kas.de/pakistan some constituencies in Southern Punjab and lished by Altaf Hussain in Karachi in 1984. It www.kas.de Hindko speaking areas of Eastern NWFP. In politically represented the speaking the 2002 general election, the PML-N won population (Mohajirs) which had migrated to 9.4% of the votes. Pakistan at the time of partition. It was supported by the Military Regime of Zia-ul The PML-Q was formed as a breakaway Haq as a counter-weight against the PPP in faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (Na- Karachi. On July 26, 1997, MQM officially waz) by Chaudhry (its pre- removed the term Muhajir from its name, sent head) in 2001. It enjoyed the full sup- and replaced it with Muttahida (United). As port of President Musharraf as the so called a large number of the Urdu speaking popu- “King’s Party”. It has its vote bank in the lation lives in Karachi and some parts of non-urban centres of Punjab. In the last Hyderabad, the party is extremely strong in legislative elections of October 20, 2002 those areas. Altaf Hussain lives in exile in PML-Q won 25.7% of the votes. the UK, as he is wanted in numerous cases pertaining to the law and order situation in The MMA was formed by the two large and Karachi previously. In the 2002 general four small religious parties before the elec- election, the MQM won 3.1% of the votes, tions in 2002 in order to give them a stron- but was chiefly successful in the commercial ger representation both at the National As- and industrial parts of Karachi. sembly and Provincial assemblies of NWFP and Baluchistan. Banking on failures of the previous governments, attacking the gov- THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS ernment’s war against terror on a religious platform and conducting an aggressive eth- In the upcoming elections the PPP, currently nically tainted election campaign, this con- riding a wave of sympathy throughout the glomerate managed to form a government country, is expected to achieve very good in NWFP for the first time, joined the ruling results in Sindh and Southern Punjab. The coalition in Baluchistan and became a death of Benazir Bhutto can add sympathy strong opposition party in the National As- votes to the PPP vote bank, which however, sembly. Due to consistent policies and well might be reduced by the emergence of Asif organized cadres of the Jamiat-e-Islami, its Ali Zardari, nick-named Mr. 10%, for his leader was elected corrupt practices as party leader while Be- president of the MMA. Maulana Fazlur Reh- nazir Bhutto was prime minister. During its man was elected as General Secretary. He tenure of 5 years, the ruling PML-Q con- leads the main section of the Jamiat-e- ducted substantial development work in its Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), the largest compo- constituencies. In the upcoming elections nent party within the religious alliance MMA. the PML-Q intends to succeed by fielding It has its roots in pre-partition Jamiat-e- strong individual candidates (the winning Ulema-e-Islam of India and bases its teach- horses), most of them having a track record ing, philosophy and ideology on the Deo- of winning in previous elections. On the bandi creed of Sunni Islam. The party’s negative side the party is perceived as the main vote bank is located in the Pashto “King’s Party” due to its strong ties with and speaking areas of western NWFP and north- blessings of President Musharraf and the ern Baluchistan. It is regarded as being the ruling military-bureaucratic establishment. ideological godfather of the Taliban move- The PML-N’s main strength is the image of ment, as almost all the Taliban subscribe to being the “true opposition” to the existing the Deobandi creed and a substantial ma- ruling elite whereas both PPP and PML-Q are

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. perceived as being in some kind of deal or pected to win seats in their traditional understanding within the present set-up. strongholds. This will allow the present rul- PAKISTAN Whether it can transfer that perception into ing elite and the military to continue playing NISA/KHALATBARI a substantial number of votes, still needs to their role as the final arbiter of electoral be seen. The PML-N suffers from a lack of politics in Pakistan. The real challenges to February 2008 strong party structures at the grass roots Pakistan, like keeping the Taliban at bay, level, as well as from the exclusion of its eliminating poverty, empowering civil soci- www.kas.de/pakistan key leaders, namely Mian Nawaz Sharif and ety and establishing a participatory democ- www.kas.de his brother Shahbaz Sharif from the Parlia- ratic dispensation may remain un-resolved mentary Election. for some time to come. Free, fair and im- partial elections are of utter importance, as Due to massive defections of its former they would reveal the wishes of the people, leadership to PML-Q and other parties, the be it enlightened moderation in an inclusive leaders were not able to maintain an solid spirit of tolerance or Talbanization and reli- presence of the party in the political land- gious extremism as the essence of the na- scape of the country. The JUI-F was the tional psyche.6 major component of the ruling alliance in the province of NWFP and had nominated Recent events, including withdrawal of mili- the Chief Minister of the province. The JUI-F tary officers from civilian posts by the COAS was also part of the ruling alliance in the and a declaration of intent for non- province of Baluchistan. The parties’ suc- involvement by the armed forces in civilian cess in the 1992 election was a direct result state affairs are a welcome gesture. Many of the anti-American stance of the party and hope that this chance for political reform in its strong emphasis on the enforcement of Pakistan is not wasted, as has happened so conservative religious teachings in those many times before, and that the country regions of the country where the religious can take some steps forward for the benefit ethos is particularly strong. This time the of the nation. party will not again be able to translate these sentiments into votes in the same numbers as previously, as it has not man- aged to keep its economic election promises particularly, and has had a tendency to mu-

tate from an opposition party into an estab- Imprint lishment party. The MQM enjoys strong in- fluence and control of electoral politics in Konrad Adenauer Stiftung e.V. the city of Karachi and some parts of Hy-

derabad. It is known to use a wide spec- International Cooperation trum of measures to further its interest, in- cluding terrorist acts, corruption and various

forms of intimidation. Presently there is no factor which can challenge the massive PAKISTAN OFFICE dominance of the MQM in the areas men- Street 61, #04 tioned above. It is therefore expected to F-6/3 Islamabad retain its hold on the traditional areas in the upcoming elections. Telephone

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CONCLUDING REMARKS Email [email protected] Keeping the above analysis of the current 6 [email protected] The catch phrase “enlightened modera- political situation in mind, it can be con- tion” was used the first time by Pervez cluded that most likely none of the parties Musharraf during the Islamic summit con- ference in Putrajaya, Malaysia in October participating in the elections will win an ab- 2003. solute majority. All main parties are ex-