National Security Council -Savior of Democracy?

FOCUS ARCHIVE:

All he wants is Absolute Power! Every time he steals more of it, I think theres nothing more he could possibly do, but each time he proves me wrong...

Capitol Hill, Islamabad.

Sirens roar on the streets of the capital, opressive policemen push away the onlookers, the traffic comes to a halt along the 10kms or so of the route taken each day by the most powerful man in the history of Pakistan. They said the same thing about Nawaz Sharif thou, there is an end to everything it seems...!

Pervez Musharraf might be the most powerful President in office but he also is the most hunted one. Musharraf admits 'hes being hunted by the extremists he has offended' but rejects bluntly any idea of his downsliding popularity."Im never afraid", he says.
"It might not be the vast silent majority that keeps him in office but the defiant extremist minority that boots him out"...wrote one european journalist.

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

The latest from the house-of-recon [NRB], The National Security Council [NSC] has been criticised and rejected by the politicians, curiously observed by the diplomats and analysts while being cheered and praised by the illetrate common folk.

The President will head the proposed NSC giving him yet another 'responsibility' of dismissing the PM or the Parliment whenever he deems necessary, and ofcourse 'with the advice of NSC' which would include 4 Army generals among others and there will be no voting in the NSC. Even Democracy has some loopholes!

ELECTIONARY REFORMS
Along with the power to dismiss the would-be corrupt Prime Minister, the President shall also be responsible for appointing army chiefs and gudges giving him almost all the rights of decision-making and appointing key posts in the country. All there is left for the PM to do is merely look after the economy and prove himself in trying to save an ailing economy and maintain law and order in an extremely corrupt and violence hit society. With all odds against him, the next PM would be lucky to survive a year or two!
Another ammendment regarding more than two terms in office was quite favoured by most politicians since Sharif and Bhutto both have virtually been eliminated from the race.
Supreme Court upheld the government's ordinance requiring atleast graduate degree for eligibility to run for parliment with much complaint from majority of politicians. Although the ordinance prevents non-graduates from running for office, in a country like Pakistan where acquiring even stinger missiles is not much of a problem, a mere graduate degree is worth only a few thousand rupees.
Similarly another bill requiring all Political parties to hold party elections before the general elections was widely criticised by the mainstream parties but appreciated by many upcoming young parties like Imran Khan's PTI. Speculations about him being the next PM are being made but he would be lucky to win a seat in parliment even, as the PTI's public standing is modest and lags far behind from mainstream parties like PPP and PML.

All eyes on Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf was given a timeframe of 3 years by the Supreme Court after October 1999 to hold general elections and handover power. Although Musharraf is now allowing general elections to take place, the question is, will he hand over the power? Many believe Musharraf is not power-hungry as he openly claims, but sadly though the current scenario suggests something quite opposite to what he claims.
Musharraf may have consolidated all the power to his seat in office, but what remains to be a disturbing question is that "will there be a deserving successor if and when he steps down?" With all the powers vested in the President's office, will there be anyone we could trust with all the keys to the country? Even though we cannnot trust Musharraf but atleast the generals around him might prevent any disasters but with a civilian on the throne, who knows what becomes of our promised land!?

Filed on July 14th 2002.