Islamabad - The reinstatement of the Pakistan's sacked top
judge is a healthy sign for the fragile democracy but a bad omen for
President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain ex-premier Benazir
Bhutto, analysts said Monday.
Pakistan's judiciary, under the reinstated and independent-minded
Iftikhar Chaudhry, plus re-energised opposition parties with
massive street power, is expected to curtail Zardari's tendency to
amass powers and run the country by himself.
'He is definitely cornered and probably he is going to remain
there,' said a political analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.
Zardari had resisted reinstating Chaudhry and his colleagues after
taking office last year from fear that the defiant judge might renew
corruption charges against him.
And he remained defiant last week when opposition groups led by
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the country's influential
legal community launched a cross-country rally dubbed the 'Long
March' from southern Pakistan to the capital Islamabad.
But Zardari caved in when Sharif left the eastern city of Lahore
in a massive rally and headed for Islamabad. Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani, in an early morning televised address on Monday,
announced that all judges, including Chaudhry, would be allowed to
return to office on March 21.
The announcement came after Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
pressed Zardari for a deal with Sharif to avoid a major political
showdown in Islamabad which could threaten the country's stability,
media reports said.
Defying a ban on public gatherings and a week-long crackdown on
opposition workers, tens of thousands of people thronged the streets
in Lahore, removing roadblocks and forcing riot police to flee, as
they made their way to the city.
'He failed to understand what the people were thinking,' said
Rasool Bux Raees, a political analyst and a professor at Lahore
University of Management Sciences.
'The image Mr Zardari has now is of a leader who stands against
the public, at least in Punjab where more than 60 per cent of the
population lives,' Raees said.
'He was under false impression that by just amassing power he
would be able to control everything and did not realize that you have
to take people along,' he added.
Zardari was not particularly popular when he took office in
September 2008, after his wife was assassinated at a political rally
in December 2007.
He was labelled 'Mr 10 Per Cent,' a reference to allegations of
receiving kickbacks on government contracts during his wife's two
stints as prime minister in the 1990s.
He had spent 11 years behind bars on corruption charges, which
he dismissed as 'politically motivated.'
Zadari's popularity further plunged when he reneged on promises of
reinstating the judges, and giving up the controversial presidential
powers that Musharraf had accumulated through constitutional
amendments during his nine-year military dictatorship.
Two ministers from his party recently resigned from the cabinet as
a protest against his policies, while a couple of senior party
leaders have publicly criticized his policies.
Media reports have been rife with speculation about widening rift
between Zardari and Gilani, who reportedly wants the president to
reconcile with the opposition.
'Even the restoration of judges would not improve Zardari's
standing because the public will give credit to Sharif, who took a
bold stance on the issue of judges and succeeded,' said retired
general Talat Masood.
According to Masood, miscalculations have now placed Zardari in a
position where on the one hand he faces an opposition leader who is
more respected by the public than he is.
On the other, Chaudhry, who is known for his judicial activism and
neutrality, will keep a check on him.
'In such a situation Zardari will have to accept a considerable
cut in his control over the state affairs. He will have to set
certain limits for himself. He might not be used to restrictions
given his nature but he doesn't have any other choice,' said Masood.
This can be generally very healthy for democracy, said Raees. 'A
democratic set-up functions well when power is properly distributed
in various state actors and institutions,' he added.
Despite the current political defeat Zardari has no shortage of
friends. Washington and other western countries still consider him as
reliable ally in the fight against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants
launching cross border attacks on US-led international forces in
Afghanistan.
'Whatever Zaradri's popularity level, the west prefers him to
Sharif who is known abroad for his close ties with the Islamic
religious parties. Americans would like to see him in power in the
coming years no matter what,' said Raees.
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