Musharraf in a 'race against time'

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, MAY 13. An unwanted deadline has been set by the Pakistani Supreme Court that the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf should be gone by October 12, 1999, 36 months after overthrowing an elected, civilian Government.

While validating the military coup, a 12-judge bench of the court has placed an effective fetter on the Musharraf regime. So far, Gen. Musharraf and his team have refused to give a time-table for a return to elected rule, saying this would turn the Government into a lame-duck administration.

A couple of hours before the verdict was announced, the Attorney- General, Mr. Aziz Munshi, said that though the Federation wanted to restore truly representative democracy as soon as possible, a specific time-frame could not be provided.

Explaining, he said time was needed to revive the economy, complete the process of accountability, recover plundered national wealth, introduce electoral reforms and ensure the important organs of state worked harmoniously.

Accepting these reasons for validating the coup, the Supreme Court said 36 months from October 12, 1999 were enough to accomplish these tasks. Since seven months had elapsed and three months were required for the poll process, Gen. Musharraf effectively has 27 months to ``reform'' Pakistan.

While the Attorney-General left open the possibility that more time may be sought at a future date from the Supreme Court, there is little doubt the military Government will find it difficult to flout the directive of the apex court.

By setting a deadline, the Supreme Court has tried to assert itself a little. The validation of military rule was expected, but the time-table for a return to democracy was not.

In a situation where judges were forced to take a fresh oath of office after the military took over, this assertion of independence, albeit minor, would be welcomed.

However, what has come in for criticism is the court's decision to vest in a military junta (specifically in the person of General Musharraf) the authority to amend the Constitution.

Clearly, two amendments will be in the offing. One, the restoration of Article 58 (2) (b), or a variation, which would allow for the dismissal of an elected Government. Earlier, this power was given to the President. Now, it remains to be seen whether the President or some other authority can exercise this power.

Further, the National Security Council set up by General Musharraf will be given constitutional status. Its role and powers, of course, could now be defined in the Constitution through an amendment.

Though the military Government may be displeased at the time- frame provided, it could actually help speed up the process of macro-level reforms it envisaged.

The court verdict, from the limited standpoint of the time-frame, has done a favour to the country. It is up to the military regime to accomplish the tasks it has set for itself within the deadline.

No change in U.S. policy

PTI reports:

Meanwhile, the United States has said the ruling of Pakistan's Supreme Court validating the military takeover would not change Washington's policy towards Islamabad and that the bilateral ties would remain ``strained''. ``Pak-U.S. relations will remain strained and will not return to normal, until democracy is fully restored,'' a U.S. State Department official said.

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Section  : International
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