Pakistan: Too Complex to Call?
Saturday sees the first phase of this year's 'election' process in Pakistan, but the event is becoming ever more clouded in controversy and confusion.
It's now very apparent that Musharraf's dismissal of the chief judge back in the spring was probably the biggest miscalculation of his career. However, the courts - clearly up in arms against him now - are obscuring matters further for their own political reasons.
It might be best for the country if the law fraternity were to take a back seat for now, and let the 'election' take place without meddling. Obviously, Musharraf will win and has promised to shed his uniform too. Benazir Bhutto also appears to be moving closer to an acceptable deal, though it does remain in some doubt. "At this stage nothing is finalised," she said yesterday. "Now we are waiting for the ordnance... Until we see it in writing we can't be sure." There again, Benazir is quite an opportunist and is only biding her time in order to secure the best outcome.
That should be enough. Any interference in the inevitable is only going to destabilise Pakistani politics further and create an opening for the Islamists. It's time for the judges to back off.
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Musharraf faces election setback
President Musharraf is expected to be able to easily muster a majority in the national parliament and four provincial assemblies that select the president.
But the court ruling means that even if he gets most votes, he cannot be declared winner until the court has decided if he was a valid candidate in the first place.
