by SHAHERYAR MIRZA
Observer Staff
Feb. 20, 2008

Asif Ali Zardari, widower of the late former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, speaks during a Pakistan People Party meeting in Islamabad February 20, 2008. REUTERS photo by Goran Tomasevic.

The Feb. 18 elections represented, above all else, a victory for the people of Pakistan. Tired of political wrangling, backdoor deals and empty promises, the Pakistani people braved the fear of violence to have their voices heard.

The Pakistan Election Commission estimated 50 percent of eligible voters turned out. Over the past year, the stigma of religious fanaticism attached to Pakistan has solidified in the eyes of the world. But the neglected moderate and secular majority of the country swung the spotlight on themselves.

The Pakistan People’s Party gained enough seats in the parliament to form its own government, and expressed willingness to work with the Pakistan Muslim League (former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party) to form a coalition government. President Pervez Musharraf, elected last October to another five-year term, will remain in the position until his term is over. The first obstacle of the fledgling government: How to deal with Musharraf.

The Muslim League wants him impeached, but the People’s Party hasn’t gone that far. Musharraf dismissed the judiciary during last month’s state of emergency. If reinstated, it will likely rule that Musharraf’s position as president is unconstitutional.

The Bush administration will remain a key player in the coming weeks. The U.S. government must stand by its democratic principles and respect what the Pakistani People have made clear: They do not want Musharraf in power.

President Bush has remarked that the new government should be willing to work with Musharraf. But that would be like having asked Bush to keep working with Bill Clinton or Al Gore after his 2000 presidential election win. It’s not acceptable for the United States to request the new Pakistani government to work against the people’s choice.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a leading member of the People’s Party and a lawyer (removed by Musharraf and placed under house arrest), may be the nominee for prime minister. In Islamabad, the political parties have threatened widespread demonstrations if he is not released from house arrest.

Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of slain party leader Benazir Bhutto, is the current head of the party. Even still, he has never held public office and is not trusted by most Pakistanis. He faces pending corruption charges and so may be reluctant to reinstate the judges that Musharraf deposed.

Sens. Joe Biden, John Kerry and Chuck Hagel were in Islamabad to observe the elections and were seen as courting the new Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Kayani. Although the senators voiced support for the victorious political parties, many Pakistanis believe the Americans are more interested in the pervasive military of Pakistan.

The silver lining is that Kayani made it clear he doesn’t believe the army should be involved in politics and is actively attempting to remove any army officers from civilian government positions. The general seems proud that the moderate and liberal forces have emerged victorious, and it has given him confidence that the army can take a step back.

It is absolutely essential that the government acts swiftly, with America’s backing, to make certain that Musharraf does not retain any power. Failure to do so will be an insult to the people of Pakistan and will destabilize the newly-elected government. With so many obstacles to the new government’s independence, victory at the polls remains a victory for the people of Pakistan. Pakistanis, regardless of who they voted for, now feel liberated by the electoral process.

To the credit of the pro-Musharraf party, it graciously conceded defeat - most Pakistani politicians don’t go down without a fight - and there is hope that Musharraf won’t try to doggedly hold on to power. The new government said it will talk to the militants in the northwest frontier rather than going in with guns blazing. This strategy is not completely unheard of: the Musharraf government tried it. Although it calmed things temporarily, the plan backfired when neither party kept their end of the deal.

This time, the government has the backing of the Pakistani people; without that, fighting extremism would prove impossible. The most conservative areas of Pakistan overwhelmingly voted moderate, secular and liberal parties to represent them. This is a clear indicator that their neighborhood is rife with militants from Afghanistan and the rest of the world, and they want their government’s help to peacefully expel the unwelcome guests.

When the government was seen as a U.S. pawn, the people were not willing to support any official initiatives. Pakistanis and Americans want the same thing when it comes to extremist militants, but the Pakistani people would like to do it on their own terms with a government of their choosing.

Both victorious parties have a history of corruption, and neither has politically proven themselves. This fact remains in the back of every Pakistani’s mind. It would be unfair not to give Musharraf credit for putting the Pakistani economy back on track, attracting foreign investment, cutting the foreign debt, making allies not enemies after Sept. 11, liberalizing and privatizing the media and reducing poverty amongst many other successes. Pakistanis supported him for the majority of his reign, but to date, he has not kept his promise of creating a sustainable democracy. He made steady strides with the economy, but his political mistakes and heavy-handed measures created a yearning in the Pakistani heart for a democratically-elected leader.

If Musharraf does not cling to power, his legacy will evoke mixed reactions. But if the new government sustains the economic and cultural gains made under Musharraf, then his tenure will have been the groundwork for that success. And if democracy is sustained, then he may be credited for creating the environment for a democracy to finally take root–despite promises to the Pakistani people eight years ago.

Musharraf preached the doctrine of “enlightened moderation” and that is precisely what Pakistanis practiced at the polls. It has now jeopardized his rule. If Musharraf is wise, he will step down, have faith in the groundwork he has laid and put his hopes in the Pakistani people and its newly-elected government.