Pakistan News Roundup | A View From Abroad

A picture from PCR Project Co-directors, Rick Barton and Karin von Hippel's trip to Pakistan in mid-April. Contributed by Mehlaqa Samdani, adviser to the PCR Project, CSIS The initial euphoria accompanying the February 18th elections seems to be waning. While the PPP-PML-N split over the judges issue was somewhat expected, the gradual re-assertion of the presidency on Pakistan’s political landscape is disturbing to many people. If Pakistan’s two main parties drift further apart, the PPP appears ready to reach out to PML-Q. Some would recall that Zardari had deemed the PML-‘Q’ the ‘Qatil’ (murderer) party immediately following Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. To make it more palatable to the PPP leadership, however, Musharraf has decided to bring about change in the Q leadership and replace Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain with Hamid Nasir Chattha, who had previously worked with Zardari during Benazir’s second tenure in office. Also, if the PPP-PML-N split becomes permanent, there is a possibility of the MQM joining the coalition at the center. With both PML-Q and the MQM in government, the possibility of Musharraf being impeached through parliament will be further reduced. It is also being reported that the presidency is preparing a list of people it would like to see as cabinet ministers to fill the vacancies left by the PML-N. In the meantime, lawyers and civil society groups in Pakistan continue to protest and demonstrate against the delay in the reinstatement of the judges. The PPP realizes it has to deliver something on the judges’ front and plans to do this through a constitutional package. However, this will take time and according to editorials in Pakistani newspapers probably will not be voted upon until after the budget is passed in June. Hence the possibility of Musharraf’s re-election being questioned by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will be further postponed. As far as US terrorism strategy in Pakistan is concerned, there will be no real resistance to it as long as Musharraf stays in power. After all it is the president who has ultimate jurisdiction over FATA and not the national or provincial assemblies.