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Pakistani
President Musharraf Leaves Military Post |
Posted:
11.28.07
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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf stepped down as commander
of the military Wednesday -- a move that comes after months of
intense pressure from the United States, which said his curbs
of civil liberties threatened democracy.
Printer-friendly version: PDF
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 Musharraf
had held both the role of president and general since coming to
power in a bloodless military coup in 1999. Shedding his military
role was seen as an important move toward Pakistan, a key ally
in the U.S. war on terror, becoming a true democracy.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Musharraf's decision
"a good first step."
"But really, for Pakistan, the most stabilizing thing will
be for Pakistan to have free and fair elections so that Pakistan
can stay and return to a democratic path," Rice said.
Musharraf is widely considered a dictator because he has never
been elected president by the public and he has continued to expand
his dominance in the government over his eight years in power.
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Tensions
in Pakistan |
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 Musharraf
declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Nov. 3, suspending
the constitution and firing the chief judge of the Supreme Court,
claiming he needed complete control of the country to combat Islamic
terrorism.
The Supreme Court was reportedly close to ruling on the legality
of Musharraf's October re-election by the Pakistani parliament
when the justice was removed.
Thousands of Pakistanis protested in the streets over the imposition
of emergency rule. Musharraf has since released thousands of opponents
and allowed all but one independent Pakistani channel to broadcast
again.
He has also said that parliamentary elections will be held by
Jan. 9, 2008, but he said emergency rule would continue until
that time.
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Facing old
opponents |
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 The
elusive elections has been a hot topic in Pakistan all year, especially
with the return of two of Musharraf's old opponents, former Prime
Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Both returned to the country this year after being in exile, though
Bhutto's was self-imposed, for many years. They have pressured
Musharraf to hold fair elections and both filed nomination papers
this week for the parliamentary elections.
Sharif and Bhutto are leaders of different parties, but both
parties are part of a coalition considering a boycott of the elections
if emergency rule does not end.
Musharraf was re-elected last month as president, but it was believed
the Supreme Court would have found him ineligible for another
term if it had been able to deliver its verdict before the state
of emergency was declared.
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Musharraf's
rise to power |
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 Musharraf
became Pakistan's leader in 1999 in a coup overthrowing then-Prime
Minister Sharif. Musharraf was the army chief at the time and
had the military's support.
The coup was bloodless and was over in less than a day. Musharraf
promised to hold elections within three years. He declared himself
president in 2000, but instead of holding the election he promised,
he held a referendum in 2002 to extend his presidency by five
years and grant himself new powers
"It gave him these unlimited powers, establishing a one-person,
all-powerful presidency that was never approved by any elected
body," Walter Andersen, associate director for South Asia
studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns
Hopkins University, told the Online NewsHour.
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Pakistan
and the war on terror |
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 The
United States is particularly concerned about Pakistan being in
a state of unrest because the country has been its biggest regional
ally in the war on terrorism. It is also concerned because Pakistan
has nuclear weapons.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks Musharraf aligned himself with
the United States and agreed to go after terror suspects within
Pakistan.
The decision was not popular with many Pakistanis, in part because
the Taliban has deep roots and many family connections in the
country, and also because the United States and President Bush
are not popular in the primarily Muslim region.
Musharraf has been a pivotal ally to the United States since then,
though he has been criticized for not doing more to root out Taliban
members living near the border with Afghanistan.
--Compiled
by Talea Miller for NewsHour Extra
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