ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pervez Musharraf resigned Monday as the president of Pakistan, avoiding a power struggle with rivals vowing to bring impeachment charges this week. Signs indicate, however, that Pakistan will likely stay on course in the U.S. war on terror.
Musharraf proved a strong ally in that fight, although many Pakistanis blamed rising violence on Musharraf’s use of the army against extremists. Musharraf sparked angry demonstrations in November when he declared a state of emergency and purged the Supreme Court before it could rule on the disputed legality of his presidential re-election.
A diminished figure since he resigned as army chief in November and found himself cut out of policymaking by the civilian government, the 65-year-old former general who seized power in a 1999 coup left the presidency amid a palpable lack of overt support from either of his main props — the army and Washington.
The White House has pumped billions of dollars in aid into Pakistan and, just last year, described Musharraf as “indispensable” to American efforts to battle extremists in the nuclear-armed country.
Underlining how the West has already moved on, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice offered “deep gratitude” for Musharraf’s decision to join the U.S.-led fight against extremists following the Sept. 11 attacks, saying he “served as a good ally of the United States.”
But she was careful to signal strong support for the civilian government that pushed him aside.
“We believe that respect for the democratic and constitutional processes in that country is fundamental to Pakistan’s future and its fight against terrorism,” Rice said.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood, asked Monday about Musharraf’s fall, said, “The war against extremism is bigger than any one person.”
According to Paksitan’s constitution, parliament must elect a new president within 30 days. There has been speculation that Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, the leaders of the two main parties, are interested in the role. However, neither has openly said so and both have vowed to strip the post of much of its power.
Musharraf’s exit comes as the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is on the rise and attacks on U.S. and NATO forces there are becoming more sophisticated and deadly.
The U.S. and Afghanistan blame Pakistan in part, saying militants have found safe havens in its border regions and move unmolested over the frontier. They also worry that al-Qaida is regrouping in sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa expects the new government to follow the policy essentially set by Musharraf, using dialogue but also force when required to combat Islamic militancy.
“The military will continue to fight and the political government will continue to negotiate. The negotiations have to continue as it is now an issue of saving Pakistani society from the hands of the Taliban,” she said.
Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, spokeswoman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, said the U.S. military deals directly with the Pakistan military and that company-sized groups of American troops talk directly with Pakistani companies across the border.
“We don’t anticipate anything changing,” she said of Musharraf’s exit.
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