In Pakistan, It’s A Choice Between Bad And Worse

President Pervez Musharraf has just won a controversial election for another five year term to lead Pakistan despite a boycott by the country's opposition parties. Opposition parties who snubbed the vote claimed it was an undemocratic and unconstitutional election. The controversy was over the fact that the U.S.-backed general, who seized power in a 1999 coup, ran for election while still holding the title of army chief. The Supreme Court in Pakistan is weighing that argument before permitting the release of official results. Hearings on the petitions by the court will resume on Oct. 17, 2007.

In total, President Musharraf won 671 votes, while retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, who was his main rival received just eight. Six ballots were invalid, election officials said. In all, 1,170 federal and provincial lawmakers were eligible to vote. Although the court this year has issued rulings that have shaken Musharraf's dominance, analysts doubted the court would overturn the result. Even if the result was overturned Musharraf could declare marshal law and continue to rule.

President Musharraf dismissed criticism that the boycott had undermined the legitimacy of the election event. He states, "Democracy means majority, whether there is opposition or no opposition, A majority, a vast majority, have voted for me and therefore that result is the result."

Pervez Musharraf's key international backer, the United States, gave a positive response on the conduct of the election, although the State Department stressed that the results were unofficial until the court verdict. "Pakistan is an important partner and ally to the United States and we congratulate them for today's election. We look forward to the electoral commission's announcement and to working with all of Pakistan's leaders on important bilateral, regional and counter terrorism issues," Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said in Washington.

The United States gave an upbeat response to Pakistan's election results because the choices in Pakistan are between bad (Musharaff) and worse (Osama bin Laden) . Musharraf has become increasingly unpopular in the country due to spiraling inflation. He also has been heavily criticized for the government's recent military confrontation at the Red Mosque in Islamabad. After months of doing nothing to stop the mosque from becoming a hotbed of militants, government soldiers suddenly used force killing dozens. The affair stoked the hatred of extremists and disdain among more moderate elements at the way the situation had been allowed to get out of hand. A similar combination of passivity and overreaction is seen in the government's dealings with the unruly tribal areas along Afghanistan's border.

World leaders and intelligence agencies in the West doubt that President Musharaff has put his full effort behind trying to find Osama bin Laden or rooting out Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This passive effort has turned the tribal areas in Pakistan into the kind of safe haven the terrorist organization enjoyed in Afghanistan.

Several weeks ago, Osama bin Laden once again called for a Jihad against Musharraf , who has already survived at least four assassination attempts. The new bin Laden Jihad probably is the result of public opinion polls in the country which now show Osama bin Laden is more popular than Musharraf with the people of Pakistan.

In the poll for Terror Free Tomorrow, (a US-based organization,) Osama bin Laden's approval rating was 46%, while Perez Musharaff's approval rating had dropped to 38%. In addition, Osama bin Laden’s approval ratings jumped to 70% in the Islamist controlled North West Frontier Province. Indeed, the popularity of Osama bin Laden in this new poll in Pakistan should be troubling news for both Pervez Musharaff and all leaders throughout the western world.

Pakistan's President has received about 10 billion dollars from the United States since the events of September 11, 2001. The United States is now wondering what it is receiving back from that investment. Recent U.S. Intelligence reports indicate that Al-Qaeda is operating terrorist training camps in the country. Meanwhile, the terrorist organization has moved freely in the Pakistan frontier ever since Musharaff stopped contesting the area with his military over a year ago. In The Terror Free Tomorrow poll nearly three-quarters of Pakistanis oppose unilateral US military action against Islamic insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

The end result is that for the West, an unpopular military dictator that controls elections is far better than an Islamic fundamentalist alternative. In addition, the West needs to proceed carefully in a geographically strategic country with increasing nuclear capability.

Western nations face a choice in Pakistan between an increasingly unpopular military dictator or a takeover of the country by Islamic fundamentalists. This unfortunate choice in Pakistan is between bad and worse.

http://www.eworldvu.com

Update on Monday, November 5, 2007 at 06:19AM by Jim Smith

Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares "Emergency" in Pakistan:

Gen. Pervez Musharraf consolidated his seizure of total power yesterday as police arrested hundreds of political and military activists. But Musharraf's most potent critics abroad and at home - the U.S. government and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - signaled they are unlikely to challenge his move.

While Musharraf now appears likely to ride out the initial storm of domestic and international opposition, he is weakened overall by his return to effective one-man rule, political analysts said. And the big winners in Pakistan's political melee will be Islamic militant groups that have killed more than 700 people in attacks since July, analysts said.

As business resumed today and Pakistanis wondered whether mass protests might begin, the one leader capable of challenging Musharraf in the streets gave little sign she will do so. Bhutto demanded "free and fair elections," but declined to rule out possible cooperation with Musharraf in government.