Pakistan Coalition A Setback For Musharraf
By CBS News' Farhan Bokhari, reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan.
Leaders of Pakistan's two largest political parties who together won a majority of parliamentary elections on Monday, announced Thursday they will form a ruling coalition government to run the country's federal and four provincial governments. It was a significant setback to Pervez Musharraf, the pro-U.S. ruler and Washington's main ally in the war on terror.
After meeting for an hour in Islamabad, Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), and Asif Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), announced their agreement in defiance of last-minute reports of efforts by pro-Musharraf politicians to prevent such a move.
"We intend to stay together and be together in the Parliament. We intend to strengthen Pakistan together," Zardari told reporters after his meeting with Sharif.
Analysts warned the partnership between the PML-N and the PPP will strengthen anti-Musharraf sentiment which is already running high across the country.
Monday's elections led to a large-scale rout of contestants from the Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid e Azam (PML-Q), the party whose leaders are considered closest to Musharraf. At least 23 former ministers from PML-Q who contested the elections lost their constituencies to opposition candidates.
The elections were held for all of the 272 seats of the lower house of Parliament (known as the National Assembly). The largest party or coalition in that National Assembly will elect the next prime minister of Pakistan. The PPP and the PML-N have together won 154 (88 seats for the PPP and 66 for PML-N) of those 272 seats.
"Musharraf's future in Pakistani politics ended on Feb. 18 (the day of election when pro-Musharraf politicians lost across Pakistan). Now it is up to him to decide if he wants a dignified exit or an undignified one," said Asma Jehangir, Pakistan's prominent human rights lawyer, in an interview with CBSNews after the Sharif-Zardari announcement.
While Musharraf has forged close ties with U.S. President George W. Bush, Western diplomats based in Pakistan said there were limitations on the extent of U.S. support for him, especially as he loses his popularity fast across the country.
Many Pakistanis are upset with Musharraf for systematically overseeing the removal of his critics, most notably Iftikhar Chaudhry, former chief justice of the Pakistani Supreme Court.
Chaudhry was replaced after Musharraf imposed a nationwide state of emergency on November 3, 2007. Since then, Chaudhry and his family have been kept practically under house arrest at his official home in Islamabad. Musharraf's popularity has also sunk due to fast-rising inflation, shortages of food commodities (especially flour), and frequent electricity shortages across the country.
Chaudhry's removal took place while he was hearing a challenge to Musharraf's controversial decision to have himself elected in October 2007 as the president while also serving as the chief of army staff.
A senior Western diplomat responding to the announcement by PPP and PML-N said the next government could systematically work to "undo many of Musharraf's legacies which will cause frictions."
Speaking to CBS News on the condition of anonymity, the diplomat said, "the danger is that rather than focusing on vital matters such as the war on terror, Musharraf will be left fighting one political battle after another. Many people believe that since he (Musharraf) has been in power for nine years, maybe it's time for him to step down."
By Farhan Bokhari