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Pakistanis Vote for A New Future
By Emad Nadim, Pakistan
A new day is dawning for a country that has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A positive leap towards a smooth democratic transition seems to have offset months of violence and bloodshed leading up to the general elections in Pakistan. Today the Pakistani people are celebrating a new future.
February 18th was a memorable day in Pakistan. Amidst forecasts to the contrary, President Pervez Musharraf delivered on making the elections a reality. Despite the absence of a level playing field and reports that the incumbent government was involved in vote-rigging and numerous other irregularities, the opposition parties swept the polls clean leaving pro-Musharraf parties in the abyss.
Gone are the days when rows between the Supreme Court and President Musharraf will lead to a declaration of an emergency rule. Today the slumbering factions in Pakistan's society have been awakened. Even disillusioned youth in the country felt hope for the future as the exiled leadership returned to take Pakistan on a better course. And although the assassination of Pakistan People's Party leader Benazir Bhutto established a pall over the country, her death seemed to energize people to take a stand in paving the way of a new government and a new future for Pakistan.
Because Pakistan is governed by a parliamentary system, the outcome of the election does not directly affect Musharraf's position as President. However, the composition of the forces that take office in the legislature will have a bearing on his legal authority.
Sympathies in Pakistan lay with the anti-Musharraf vote. People were disgruntled with recent inflation, a wheat and energy crisis, and a deteriorating environment of security.
However, because there wasn't a decisive majority, no political party will have enough seats to form a government without forming a coalition. The various political forces will likely to struggle at first as they try to influence the composition of the national legislature for the next five years.
Nonetheless, the Pakistani people have pinned their hopes on these leaders. They are looking to these leaders to make good on campaign promises that will make them beneficiaries of a stable and economically prosperous society.
Unfortunately, these promises may be hard to keep. The dynamics of the power play between the majority parties of Benazir Bhutto and Narwaz Sharif have roots in historic grudges. Their parties differ on many important issues including the restoration of the deposed judiciary and the role Musharraf will be allowed to play.
"Today the slumbering factions in Pakistan’s society have been awakened. Even disillusioned youth in the country felt hope for the future as the exiled leadership returned to take Pakistan on a better course. And although the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto established a pall over the country, her death seemed to energize people to take a stand in paving the way of a new government and a new future for Pakistan.quot; -Emad Nadim
Any positive change can only be driven by the conflation of these two parties. Should this happen, Musharraf with his waning popularity, might be forced into becoming a lame duck president, if not induced to pack up his bags and exit the position he has occupied for the largest part of the last decade.
Of course, another scenario might feature a political deadlock, making any functioning government a distant reality and the threat to Musharraf could be mitigated.
It is no secret that the war on terrorism was a central theme throughout Musharraf's regime. The absence of any large-scale terror attacks might hint at the willingness of the radicals to be silent spectators to the political blow being dealt to the president.
It will be interesting to observe how the incoming government defines this pandemic war and creates a strategy forward. The moderate Pakistani is split between his unwillingness to support an American agenda, and his desire to protect the country against extremism. There is talk that the new parliament might reach out to militant fundamentalists to have a dialogue rather than to fight them militarily.
While hopes are high, the future is anything but certain. Given that political parties have won without any clear reference to what their agendas or manifestos would be seems to indicate a rough road ahead. Certainly the candidacy for the prized office of Prime Minister is uncertain and the threat of a hung parliament with many independent candidates willing to align themselves with the highest bidder suggests corruption.
As we impatiently watch the events unfold, one thing is certain - the people of Pakistan, especially the youth, have reached a higher level of awareness and involvement resulting from a desire to take a larger ownership of their country. Rome wasn't built in a day but at least we are moving in the right direction. Now all we have to do is start walking.
