Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently in Salon News

White men can jump
When Baltimore, which is 65 percent black, chose a white as its next mayor, it marked a watershed event in the evolution of America's racial politics.
By Debra Dickerson
[10/13/99]

The conversion of Asa Hutchinson
The "false prophet" of campaign finance offers unexpected support for a tough bipartisan reform bill.
By Jake Tapper
[10/12/99]

Mark Salter: The voice of Sen. John McCain
The war hero's chief of staff knows how to get inside his head.
By Jake Tapper
[10/12/99]

Rage against the regime
Meet the new faces of the Serbian opposition.
By Laura Rozen
[10/12/99]

There's something about Mary
Management problems and divisive racial politics have followed Mary Frances Berry from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to the Pacifica Radio Network
By Judith Coburn
[10/12/99]

Complete archives for News

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Last time, the army took over in 1977 and promised to hold elections within three months, but it took them 11 years to leave," said Mohammad Hussain, a retired bureaucrat. "I wonder how long this regime will stay -- the victim will only be democracy, which has failed to take roots in the country."

Also Today Coup d'état: Pakistan gets a new sheriff The overthrow of Pakistan's publicly elected government may bode poorly for democracy, but who's crying? By Daryl Lindsey and Alicia Montgomery

Sharif's ouster casts a shadow of doubt on the upcoming peace negotiations with India. The two nuclear powers have had a protracted fight over the region of Kashmir, and tensions have resulted in threats of nuclear attacks in the past.

Two-time prime minister and Pakistan People's Party chairwoman Benazir Bhutto called on the military to hold elections and go back to the barracks. "I fully blame the prime minister," she said from her home in London, where she is in exile; Pakistan's courts have charged her with corruption. "But the existing situation is fluid and dangerous. Pakistan appears to be in a state of civil war."

Tahirul Qadri, the head of the Pakistan People's Movement, an Islamist party, said, "It was Sharif's blunders that forced the army to take over, I congratulate the army a hundred times for getting rid of this fascist ruler." The Pakistan People's Movement is one of 19 parties that formed a Grand Democratic Alliance last month to oust the Sharif government.

Sharif's is the fifth government since 1985 to be dismissed before its constitutionally mandated five-year term was up. Four others were axed by the president under special constitutional powers scrapped by the Sharif government soon after it took over. The military has ruled Pakistan for more than 20 of the 52 years since the nation's founding.

Political analysts believe the coup grew out of a series of miscalculations and political blunders by Sharif's government. They note in particular the mishandling of the ongoing conflict in Kashmir -- particularly Sharif's decision to withdraw troops from the disputed territory after an agreement with the United States in July.

"Sharif ordered the pullout when the Kashmiri mujahedeen were at an advantageous position against the Indian Army, The government decision had caused much resentment among the army ranks," said Daudur Rahim, editor at a local news agency -- adding that he is saddened to see his countrymen look to the military to intervene in issues that should be sorted out politically and in a democratic way.

"Sharif had become an unpopular leader due to his authoritarian attitude," commented Afasarul Mulk, a local leader of the Pakistan People's Party. "Although I would oppose army rule and favor the democratic process, I have no regrets for Sharif's ouster. He was a dictator in the garb of democracy."

In addition, critics said Sharif had failed to control a recent upsurge in the sectarian violence that has left more than 50 people dead, with a majority of the victims coming from the minority Shiite community. This led the religious political parties, particularly those representing Shiites, to call upon the army to intervene.

"The Sharif government's failure to control the situation further eroded its credibility -- the government should have resigned," observed Babar Ali Sher, a Shiite and owner of a car rental business in Islamabad.

Sharif also made enemies with many Muslim groups inside Pakistan when he blamed Afghanistan's ruling Taliban party for involvement in sectarian violence in Pakistan. The radical Taliban, who are Sunni Muslims, enjoy massive support among the strong Islamist lobby within the army -- the same lobby that opposed Pakistan's withdrawal from Kashmir this July. Sharif had asked the Taliban to shut down terrorist training camps and stop the influx of terrorists to Pakistan -- indicating a change in Islamabad's position. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the only countries that have recognized Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.
salon.com | Oct. 13, 1999

© Pacific News Service

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

  Backflip this article to find it again

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon