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Musharraf’s Martial Plan | Bhutto | NY Times

Musharraf’s Martial Plan - New York Times

By BENAZIR BHUTTO Published: November 7, 2007 Islamabad, Pakistan NOV. 3, 2007, will be remembered as the blackest day in the history of Pakistan. Let us be perfectly clear: Pakistan is a military dictatorship. Last Saturday, Gen. Pervez Musharraf removed all pretense of a transition to democracy by conducting what was in effect yet another extraconstitutional coup.

In doing so he endangered the viability of Pakistan as an
independent state. He presented the country’s democratic forces with a
tough decision — acquiesce to the brutality of the dictatorship or take
over the streets and show the world where the people of Pakistan really
stand.

General Musharraf also presented the democratic world —
and especially the countries of the West — with a question. Will they
back up their democratic rhetoric with concrete action, or will they
once again back down in the face of his bluff?

In my view,
General Musharraf’s ruling party understood that it would be trounced
in any free elections and, together with its allies within the
intelligence services, contrived to have the Constitution suspended and
elections indefinitely postponed. Very conveniently, the assassination
attempt against me last month that resulted in the deaths of at least
140 people is being used as the rationale to stop the democratic
process by which my party would most likely have swept parliamentary
elections. Maybe this explains why the government refuses to allow the F.B.I. and Scotland Yard to assist in a forensic investigation of the bombings.

As
I write, demonstrations are taking place across Pakistan. Opposition
party members, lawyers, judges, human rights advocates and journalists
have been rounded up by the police without charge. The press has been
seriously constrained. The chief justice of the Supreme Court and many
other judges are believed to be under house arrest.

The United
States, Britain and much of the West have always said the right things
about democracy in Pakistan and around the world. I recall the words of
President Bush in his second inaugural address when he said: “All who
live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not
ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for
your liberty, we will stand with you.”

The United States alone
has given the Musharraf government more than $10 billion in aid since
2001. We do not know exactly where or how this money has been spent,
but it is clear that it has not brought about the defeat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, nor succeeded in capturing Osama bin Laden,
nor has it broken the opium trade. It certainly has not succeeded in
improving the quality of life of the children and families of Pakistan.

The United States can promote democracy — which is the only way
to truly contain extremism and terrorism — by telling General Musharraf
that it does not accept martial law, and that it expects him to conduct
free, fair, impartial and internationally monitored elections within 60
days under a reconstituted election commission. He should be given that
choice: democracy or dictatorship with isolation.

While the world
must do its part to confront tyranny, the primary responsibility rests
in the hands of the people of Pakistan. It is incumbent on Pakistanis
to tell General Musharraf that martial law will not stand. The
overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are moderate; it is my hope that
they will unite in a coalition of moderation to marginalize both the
dictators and the extremists, to restore civilian rule to the
presidency and to shut down political madrassas, the Islamic schools
that stock weapons and preach violence.

It is dangerous to
stand up to a military dictatorship, but more dangerous not to. The
moment has come for the Western democracies to show us in their
actions, and not just in their rhetoric, which side they are on.

November 7, 2007 at 05:54 PM in Middle East | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home