The Hindu : Meet to discuss Musharraf's continuance as Army chief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 26, 2003

International

International

Meet to discuss Musharraf's continuance as Army chief

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD May 25. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has called a "crucial summit" of leaders of all parties on Friday to discuss the political crisis triggered by the Opposition's insistence that the President, Pervez Musharraf, quit as Army Chief.

The meeting comes after a Government-Opposition committee constituted by Mr. Jamali to evolve a consensus failed to break the ice. While the Government wants the issue to be left to Gen. Musharraf, the Opposition is adamant that he resign.

Gen. Musharraf has acknowledged that his continuation as President in `uniform' was odd, but has sought time to quit as Army Chief on the ground that the present situation demanded that he continue to be in effective charge of the armed forces.

Observers fear that if the deadlock persists, Gen. Musharraf could be left with little option but to either suspend the National Assembly or dissolve it. Under the new laws made by him Gen. Musharraf is empowered to dismiss the Government and dissolve the National Assembly.

The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that though elections were held in October last year, the National Assembly has not had a `normal' sitting even once. The Jamali Government finds itself in an awkward position as the annual budget is due for presentation next month.

Political observers believe that though there are very little chances of a consensus being evolved, a miracle may yet take the two sides to a mutually-acceptable formula to bail the country out of the "current crisis".

The ruling party, PML (QA) is keen on solving the crisis. Mr. Jamali has even opted for an in-depth dialogue with the man who really matters in the MMA, Maulana Fazalur Rehman. He is inclined to be flexible, but one of the partners in the alliance and Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, is in no mood for any compromise. In fact, he has set August 14 as the deadline for Gen. Musharraf to quit as Army Chief or face the "consequences".

Friday's meeting may result in a "decisive posture" for the continuation of a political regime in Pakistan. The outcome may also go the other way, as is being envisioned by the PML (QA), which has made its position crystal clear on all the issues.

Mr. Jamali also held closed-door informal talks with the PML (QA) president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and other leaders, exchanging views on his recent meetings with Opposition leaders. The Prime Minister will also chair a Cabinet meeting on May 28, two days before the all-party meeting.

Mr. Shujaat, who is playing an active role behind the scenes, has met Qazi Hussain Ahmed thrice, Maulana Fazlur Rehman twice, and the Pakistan People's Party leader, Amin Fahim, once. However, PML (QA) circles say no serious dialogue was held with the PPP (P) or the PML (N), as Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, the untiring octogenarian politician, is trying to push these parties into staging street protests.

A PML (QA) leader said the report of the joint constitutional committee was nothing but a "bundle of rubbish recommendations", and that all the Opposition parties had taken the position they had been holding for some time. "The only difference is that the MMA has written its proposals in Urdu, while the PPP (P) and the PML (N) have written them in English. Nothing moved beyond that."

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