Musharraf not out of the woods yet, says Pak journalist

People close to President Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto are not optimistic about the power sharing deal between the two, but foreign leaders and diplomats in Islamabad are optimistic about the pact.

Islamabad, Aug 3 : People close to President Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto are not optimistic about the power sharing deal between the two, but foreign leaders and diplomats in Islamabad are optimistic about the pact.

India's National Security Adviser MK Narayanan said that President Musharraf has overcome a major domestic crisis, and India will continue peace talks with him, and thinks that the worst is over for Musharraf.

Top US officials are also very optimistic about the future of the Musharraf-Benazir deal, but ground reality in Pakistan is different.

The July 20 decision of the Supreme Court against Musharraf was like a political 9/11 for his government, noted Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir wrote in an article in The News.

Former Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan admitted in his resignation that the July 20 decision was a big failure for the government.

Musharraf cannot get away from this failure by saying that he still has a lot of respect for the chief justice.

Musharraf's sudden meeting with Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi is also being seen as a sign of weakness by his allies. The ruling PML-Q leadership has conveyed to Musharraf that they will support a deal with the PPPP only if Benazir is ready to elect him in uniform from the current assemblies.

On the other hand, PPPP lawmakers have told Benazir that they won't vote for Musharraf in uniform.

At the present, Musharraf is short on time, as according to the 17th amendment to the Constitution, he has to take off his uniform before November 2007.

He is planning to announce his re-election in uniform from the current parliament in coming few days, The News reported.

After becoming president in uniform, he would like to hold new general election by October 2007, and will try to get the results of his own choice.

The superior courts are still a threat to this strategy, and some ministers like Ejaz-ul-Haq have started calling Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to re-establish a working relationship with him.

All these meetings and deals won't change the Constitutional realities, and Musharraf will have to take off his uniform.

Only Benazir can help him by supporting a constitutional amendment, but that would be at the cost of a revolt in the PPPP.

Western and some Indian leaders still think that Musharraf is the best choice to fight terrorism in Pakistan.

Pakistan needs a genuine democracy. Dividing Pakistani society on the basis of extremism and liberalism would spell disaster. The government should deal with all the political parties and promote democracy in the tribal areas.

ANI