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Journalism of Courage
With President Pervez Musharraf announcing a Scotland Yard investigation into Benazir Bhutto’s death, a team from London was expected to arrive in the country by the weekend
(The Daily Times, January 4). A day after Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, rejected the inquiry, the PPP’s vice-chairperson and prime ministerial candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim too demanded that it be conducted by a UN commission (The News, January 4). The UN probe into Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination is seen to be a desirable model.
Earlier, with Bhutto’s will read out, Zardari is effectively in charge of the PPP. “Zardari has acted wisely in nominating Bilawal as the formal chairman of the party but retaining command of it,” wrote Najam Sethi in The Friday Times. “Bloodlines are important in Pakistani culture and society; that is why dynasties flourish… But it will be a tough act to follow in Bhutto’s footsteps. She could count on the blind loyalty of people and party but Zardari will have to work very hard to keep the party united in the face of internal and external pressures. In fact, that is the biggest challenge he faces. Zardari has decided to opt for participation in the delayed elections rather than go for agitation to remove President Musharraf. This is a measure of his pragmatism, of which we may expect to see a lot, as much as it is of his rawness to the job. In a similar situation, Bhutto might have extracted more from President Musharraf and conceded less, but then Zardari cannot afford to take such risks so early in the game.”
In its editorial on Monday, The News too highlighted the adoption of the Bhutto name by her children and noted Zardari’s changed profile: “His image of the past notwithstanding, the role and perception about Zardari has undergone a sea change in recent years, especially with his long years of incarceration, his brave fight against military authoritarianism and lately his pragmatism to deal with the establishment. It is no secret that Benazir Bhutto was primarily under the Zardari influence to start a secret dialogue with the Musharraf regime. It was also his initiative to build bridges between key members of the military establishment and Bhutto, ultimately leading to a summit which then paved the way for her return and election of President Musharraf for another term of five years. The script, so to say, was written with full knowledge and active participation of Zardari who had agreed to remain on the sidelines, in New York and Dubai, but he was always in the picture, on a day to day, hour to hour basis, though out of the public eye.”
Sharif’s balancing act
Elections have been postponed to February 18, and The Daily Times (January 4) took stock of the PMLN’s strategy: “Nawaz Sharif… accepts the new election date and commits his party to participation, but he also holds out the threat of joining the forces asking for a ‘national government’, which now means the ouster of President Musharraf from the scene and the holding of elections under a government with an inappropriate adjective, ‘national reconciliation’. He is more clear in his mind than Zardari about his relationship with the president: he wants him out. His statement that his party will join the PPP in a coalition government is a realistic approach towards the objective of getting the bar on his becoming prime minister again lifted and, at the minimum, getting a good purchase on Punjab in case the PPP gets the next prime ministerial slot.”
On Thursday, The News sought a government of national consensus to make the elections more credible: “With Sindh in such fury and rage and the rest of the country clinging on to vague hopes but filled with grave fears and doubts, a major initiative by President Musharraf only can restore the confidence and trust in the election process. A genuine government of national consensus is thus a primary prerequisite to put the country back on the democratic path and short of such a major step, Pakistan can only slide further into anarchy in the coming tumultuous days and weeks.”
Who is Baitullah?
On Monday, Dawn profiled Baitullah Mehsud, accused by Islamabad for the attack on Benazir Bhutto: “For almost three years now, Baitullah Mehsud (32) has been the leading face of militant resistance whose influence, security officials acknowledge, transcends the borders of South Waziristan. And its confirmation came, when militants from Pakistani tribal regions and some settled districts of the NWFP, unanimously decided to make him the head of Tehrik-i-Taliban, Pakistan, early (in December).”
mini.kapoor@expressindia.com
