Pakistan at a Crossroads?

Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban" and "Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia" wrote a column for the Washington Post today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR2007061502073_pf.html

In the column, he illuminates the struggle occurring in Pakistan at this moment. Beginning 3 months ago, Pervez Musharraf, prime minister of Pakistan, effectively fired a supreme court justice. In other times, this may have gone unnoticed. But when Pakistan is on the front doorstep of (and some would argue behind) the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT: Yes, John Edwards, there is an Osama bin Laden), this story makes international news.

As you may recall from one of my previous readings, Pakistan has a history, since its beginnings in the late 1940's, of military rule. In fact, when the military has not ruled the country, it typically comes in to "save" the country from non-military rule, which inevitably leads to corruption. Musharraf, who has been in power since 1999, led a coup ousting the previously elected official, Nawaz Sharif.

Rather than sit by idly as Musharraf consolidates power and stifles dissent, especially in an election year, the supreme court judge, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry, began a protest. This protest has led to the justice system in Pakistan coming to a halt. Lawyers are effectively on strike. And while this may be a good thing in most developed nations, this is a very bad thing in Pakistan. But with the military as the official purveyor of justice in the country, the people of Pakistan, and indeed the international community may begin to call the military's bluff. This bluff has been that military rule is less bad than the alternative, which of course, is militant fundamentalist rule.

That may be so, but will the nation really elect militant fundamentalists, en masse? It is hard to predict, but I say no. Maybe it is time for Musharraf and his largest supporter, the United States, to practice what they preach and allow true republican democracy flourish.