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The Bhutto return

THE tens of thousands that blocked Karachi through and through yesterday, bringing the commercial metropolis to a virtual halt, must have come as a surprise to pro-Musharraf pundits in the presidency and GHQ, despite their familiarity with Pakistan’s political culture.

The present administration has claimed time and again that their’s is the ‘seeing is believing’ style of politics, that having seen visible positive developments across the country under their watch, the common man has only distressing memories of the so-called decade of democracy, when elected representatives allegedly ‘looted and plundered’ national wealth with gay abandon.

Yet the singing and dancing in the streets that greeted the former prime minister —whom General Musharraf himself repeatedly badmouthed till political compulsions cornered him into an alliance with her – painted a very different picture. And as much as the crowds provided proof of the enduring charisma and mass lure of the Bhutto name in Pakistan, surely they also betrayed dissatisfaction with the present dispensation in Islamabad. And whether pro-Bhutto or anti-Musharraf, collectively the people want to finally be in charge of their own destinies, which is why they crave for change.

It bears noting that the recent return and re-exile of the other former premier, Nawaz Sharif, was a relatively colourless affair chiefly because of diktat from Islamabad. With thousands of important shot-calling party members suddenly arrested, it is little surprise their leader was received in a markedly dissimilar fashion to the GHQ’s favoured client.

Compromise-for-power is a nifty trend in politics. But since its psychology revolves around consolidation of power, those employing it get their fingers burnt more often than not, and with good reason. General Musharraf now needs to be extra careful not to reek of political opportunism of the highest order, implying compromises on his part to retain power that sidesteps the system are not yet complete.

Since the current exercise of facilitating Benazir’s return by fiddling with the official system and masses’ sentiments (in pardoning corruption cases against her) has been done under the umbrella of democracy, Islamabad will feel increased pressure to re-allow Nawaz Sharif back to contest the general election. Of course, that such an episode would embarrass the government on numerous points would be something of an understatement.