is This is the end?…

Most momentous occasions have winners and losers. Sometimes one mourns for the losers and at other times the victor is lauded. In the recent elections in Pakistan, the victors were lauded and the losers were condemned. This comes in as a huge blow and a statement by the voters in Pakistan, although only a meagre 41% went to the polls, of what they have dealt with over the last several years. Does this spark a new change for Pakistan or is it a step backwards? Sometimes, a step taken back can be quite fruitful - for it provides a clearer view of the target and allows one to formulate a plan to tackle it. Has the populous chosen that or have they decided that although economic, social and political development was rather grim during they years of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, internal security and rule of law within the country were more important than overall development? I think its the latter -  I have spoken with a few Pakistanis over the last few days to get their reaction to the elections and the unequivocally got the same message - Gen. Musharaff has turned the State of Pakistan into a pawn for Western powers and the only way to restore confidence in their Government is to get rid of Musharaff and adopt one of the old warhorses to lead to country back into stability. The question is whether or not this will mark an end for Gen. Musharaff and what will happen to him once he is ousted as President? Will he be moving in with the Bush’s at their ranch? Because for a deposed leader of Musharaff rating in terms of public confidence, assuming he is impeached after the Parliament comes into force and elects a Prime Minister, Pakistan is no place to be! He has already survived multiple attempts on his life by Islamic Militants and the lack of Black Cat Commandos surrounding him at all times once he is done with the all inclusive stay at the Presidential Palace. He could land up a job in the Middle East with Tony Blair as a “Peace” envoy. The transition of Pervez Musharaff from General to a civilian President has been quite rampant - his relinquishing the title of General has lost his grip over Pakistan’s Military and the iron fist that he ruled with started showing signs of Material Scientific breakdown. The idea of keeping Politicians who threatened his position was quite successful as well - until the country’s Judiciary was undermined. Judge Chowdary may not have been much of a household name prior to his arrest, but the incidents that it sparked shine the way to Musharaff’s downfall. Lets examine the events  - Iftikar Chowdary is forced to leave his position as Pakistan’s Chief Justice - riots spark across the nation - especially around the volatile and overpopulated Karachi area - the intellectuals were accosted and beaten (mainly the Lawyers - and unlike in the United States, being a Lawyer is not that lucrative -  so they did not really deserve it) - Gen. imposes a State of Emergency nullifying every “Democratic” institution within the Country - Ms. Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif gain a new degree of confidence to get back into Pakistan and they are welcomed by throngs of people across the country - not surprisingly of course given the situation - and then the fatal attack on Benazir, which again put the nation through chaos and finally the elections in which the Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (essentially Musharaff’s party) lost overwhelmingly. One aspect the US and its allies fighting in Afghanistan can take comfort in is the fact that the secularist parties did well in the North West regions of Balochistan the NWFP. This definitely means a lot, for all parties involved - Musharaff, the Coalition Forces and the people of Pakistan -  and of course, who could forget the troops - their morale has been extremely low off late, especially after the brutal treatment by pro-Taleban and Al-Qaeda terrorists. Indai, for the most part has preferred having a strong Musharaff government, considering both, the government under the General and the BJP made in-roads in talks on the border issue concerning Kashmir. On the same hand, the Pakistanis have dealt quite well with the government headed by Manmohan Singh. But the future looks rather bleak for Gen. Musharaff after this whole episode - so lets play the wait and watch game.