Word: musharraf
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Even in a country with a history of fierce political rivals coming together for their own survival, the idea of a union between Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto seems preposterous. After all, they hate each other with an undisguised passion. She has a phobia about military dictators--her politician father was executed by one--and has described General Musharraf as an incompetent ruler who indulges in "puerile brinkmanship." In his view, she and Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister, epitomize the weak, deeply corrupt democracy he overthrew in a bloodless 1999 coup. Just...
...royal palaces and talk about sharing power--a meeting that both continue to deny. It was an act of desperation by a man the U.S. has long regarded as an irreplaceable ally in the war on terrorism. Opinion polls show that the majority of Pakistanis want Musharraf out, and his crude attempts to control the judiciary have backfired and created new foes. Taken together, these factors could undermine his bid to extend his rule beyond his current tenure, which expires in November. Even some within Pakistan's powerful army, which Musharraf still heads, are beginning to grumble...
...this bodes ill for the Bush Administration's hopes that the general will keep his country together, safeguard its nuclear weapons and help combat a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda. Washington knows the general needs help, which is why it has covertly encouraged a Musharraf-Bhutto deal, with the goal of rallying the moderate majority. "There's an absence of any other people who could be seen as an effective cohering force inside Pakistan," says an Administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The interest we have had is in trying to bring together the middle of Pakistani society...
...alliance would probably pursue policies not radically different from those of the present government. Musharraf would presumably supervise military and security matters, including the fight against militant groups, while Bhutto might be responsible for more political matters, like reforming the thousands of madrasahs, or religious schools, around the country...
...Some analysts have begun to talk about the "Musharraf option" - a Pakistan-style military dictatorship under a strongman willing to pursue U.S. interests. Sunni politicians have openly said they would prefer this to a Prime Minister from the Shi'ite Islamist parties. But none of Iraq's military commanders has looked a likely candidate, and the U.S. is unlikely to back a coup...