Word: musharraf
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...there ever been an election campaign with so many anti-climaxes? A surprise ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court Friday on President General Pervez Musharraf's eligibility to run for a second term technically threatened his bid to stay in power and had many Pakistanis scratching their head over what was going on in their country's power politics. The last few months have been rocked by controversy over Musharraf's eligibiity even as he feuded angrily with the judicial branch of government. Friday's ruling appeared to be another round of that tit-for-tat - though tempered by another...
...Benazir returned home to acclaim as the savior of Pakistani democracy. If that feat is to be repeated, voters would have to be so desperate to end military rule that they would overlook not only any deal she might strike with Musharraf, but also the widespread human rights abuses and epic corruption that prevailed in Pakistan during her last stint in power...
...take more than whitewash, however, to restore Bhutto's image as a tireless campaigner against military rule. Talks of a power-sharing deal with General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a coup, have dimmed voter enthusiasm for her party, as have her statements that she would allow U.S. military strikes against terrorists in Pakistan, and would make nuclear proliferator (and national hero) A.Q. Khan available for questioning by the IAEA. Pakistan's parliament votes for a President on October 6, and the increasingly embattled Musharraf desperately needs the support of Bhutto's party. She, in turn, wants the corruption...
...exchange for their support, Bhutto's followers in Larkana expect her to deliver jobs and infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. More generally, her voters would expect her to maintain Musharraf's extraordinary success in stewarding the national economy, which has been growing at an annual rate of 7% - and they will want her to deliver on her promise to put an end to terrorism. Her promises, like her political ambitions and her father's tomb, are outsize...
...Despite the socialist platform of both Bhutto and her father, both are beneficiaries of an almost feudal system in Sindh, where landlords and tribal leaders dictate how their people vote. In keeping with this tradition, many of these voters don't question Benazir's judgment in cutting deals with Musharraf, or anything else. "If Benazir got a horse, and told people to vote for the horse," says 27-year-old Larkana shopkeeper Muhammad Ali Sheikh, "we would line up to vote for the horse...