Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The Boldest Challenges to Musharraf Take Shape

General Musharraf may have encountered perhaps the most serious, grassroots challenge to his administration yet. Musharraf's decision to suspend Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry this March has seemingly morphed into a dense political thicket, replete with every major political party and ideologue taking advantage of what was suppose to be a purely judicial matter.

The battle lines were clearly drawn when the former Justice arrived at the Karachi Airport to address the bar association in this volatile port city. With trucks, cannisters, and tires blocking the Justice's supporters from crossing the the roads leading to and from the airport, the prospects of violence was a foregone conclusion. The opposition, consisting of lawyers and members of the Awami National Party (PPP), which is led by exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly battled against supporters of the Muttahid Quami Movement (MQM), a political party that rose to power during the 1980s and one that strongly backs Musharraf's military government. The MQM however, speaking through its leadership headquartered in London, has strongly denied any involvement in the violence. Nevertheless, the degree to which various opposition parties have catalyzed the judicial suspension is remarkable and unpredictable, which certainly does not bode well for Musharraf.

Further, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism across the country isn't helping the situation. While certain pockets of the Northwest Frontier is known to be a bastion of Taliban-style semi-autonomous governance, such boldness has crept into the heart of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, commonly considered to be a secular and liberal environment. Over the past few months, members of the Red Mosque, who support a Taliban-style government, have destroyed music shops, burned DVDs, and abducted brothel owners, police officers, and military soldiers, forcing some of them to publicly denounce their views. Apparently, the Red Mosque's actions are a response to the government's detainment of several of their members, however, the confrontation is leaving many scratching their heads as to how such extremism is taking root in the first place.

Musharraf's tolerance for such extreme protests and a freer press are manuevers that may help him in assuaging some of the political tension, but the reality is that there are far too many subvergent political parties and groups that have risen to challenge Musharraf on a platform that hardly connects to any of their underlying interests. Considering the far graver reality check of a Pakistan absent Musharraf, the MQM and other supporters are urging Musharraf to calm Pakistan's internal political atmosphere. Time will determine the fate of this government in a country that can hardly be ever characterized as politically stable.


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