Could the Kerry-Lugar Bill be destabilizing the Zardari government?

by Shiza Shahid

While President Obama is re-assessing US policy towards Pakistan, Pakistan is doing some re-thinking of its own. As the Kerry-Lugar Act passed through Congress on September 30th, Pakistani politicians and the media created uproar, portraying the aid bill as a "document of surrender" by a corrupt, weak, and self-interested government. Over the past few days, the din has only escalated and is pointing to a complex political situation in the country (Time, Dawn, Daily Times, The News). Opposition political parties are turning public opinion against the government by portraying the bill as a complete sell-out and tactfully playing into the already pervasive feelings of Anti-Americanism amongst the Pakistani public. Worryingly, the game is being played not just by the political opposition, but also by the Army, which just today voiced ‘serious concerns’ about certain parts of the bill which they believe will affect ‘national security’. Such strong words, issued by the Army before the Parliament has even finished debating the bill, are indicative of the Army’s interest in keeping the civilian government on edge.

Ironically, a bill which claims to be for the purpose of 'solidifying democracy' in Pakistan is, in the short term at least, is doing the exact opposite

 Flickr photo by United Nations Photo used under a Creative Commons license