Pakistan? A new source of destabilization?
The tension surrounding Pakistan is growing steadily as recent moves by President Pervez Musharraf tightens his grip upon the country and detains hundreds of opposition leaders around the country while suspending the Constitution. Pakistani news media sources are still off the air as President Musharraf continues to call for independent elections this coming January even though nothing was said publically to Pakistani citizens. The U.S. embassy issued the following comments noting that Pakistan is falling gravely ill with its recent detention strategies rounding up human activists and lawyers around the country. That the country should not take a step backwards in democracy and allow open and clear dialogue by allowing media and citizens to take a “constructive role” in bringing back peace into the country. Citizenship participation is key to growing a successful democracy and with Pakistan’s recent move in tightening public media stations and rounding up opposition leaders; it’s hard to think whether or not Pakistan would come out of this normally. When the rights of citizens can be thrown away and detained without due process to protect the power of the President, it can be viewed as a very bad step to a more fundamental government swayed easily by the threats and concerns of growing Islamic body in Pakistan. The growing tension is in the growing mist of the war on terror and its ties to the unpopular war in Iraq. With President Musharraf holding the post as general in the country, its viewed as unlikely that Musharraf will be stepping down anytime soon with the recent disbarment of Supreme Court leaders taken days before a decision whether or not his re-election on Oct. 6 was still valid. This is truly a test of Musharraf and to see if he would buckle under the stress of his own population, the international community, and within his own political party. To resume democratic elections and to restore citizenship participation is the only clear option into restoring the faith and transparency of this government or else the future of Pakistan will become another key breeding ground for “Talibanization”