Musharraf turning autocratic

A leading expert on South Asian affairs at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has said that recent actions taken by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf show that he is turning autocratic.

Washington, Sept 11 : A leading expert on South Asian affairs at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has said that recent actions taken by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf show that he is turning autocratic.

Teresita Schaffer, who heads the South Asia programme at the CSIS, said:" The Musharraf government is set on a course for more autocratic rule."

She also said that the US Government's effort to keep Musharraf in power and at the same time creating a democratic transition with 'moderate' political force would be difficult to materialise and would be no longer compatible given Musharraf becoming more dependent on the religious parties.

"Since Musharraf will need to humour its original political supporters and is not likely to find much support from the non-religious parties for a more repressive approach to government," Schaffer argued.

"Under these circumstances, will the government be willing or able to crack down on religiously-oriented militant groups that have been blatantly breaking the law? The present situation might end up in a state of emergency. All this makes the idea of a managed transition to power-sharing with Benazir Bhutto increasingly difficult - and puts her in an embarrassing position," the Daily Times quoted her as saying.

Another expert in South Asia affairs, Michael Krepon, said that former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's deportation to Jeddah on Monday, within hours of his landing in Islamabad, highlights the importance of an independent judiciary in Pakistan, something that Nawaz did his best to undermine when he was Prime Minister.

"Given the circumstances of Nawaz's departure, it seems likely that, even if General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto succeed in deal-making, their deal will be short lived," Krepon added.

ANI