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For months, Pakistan's leaders have been distracted by a debate over whether to impeach Pervez Musharraf. No longer. Bowing to the inevitable, Musharraf quit as president yesterday before he could be turfed, still obtusely styling himself the nation's God-given saviour, against all evidence. In the streets, people cheered. Stocks soared.
But even as Musharraf took one final salute from his honour guard, the political class found itself swept up in yet another energy-draining debate – about calling him to account for past misdeeds.
Musharraf was an ally, post 9/11, in U.S. President George Bush's war on terror. He also favoured détente with India. And fought corruption.
But Musharraf's long rule showed "flagrant disregard for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law," as Prime Minister Stephen Harper aptly put it. An army general, Musharraf toppled an elected government in 1999. He rigged elections in 2002. In 2007 he imposed emergency rule and fired the Supreme Court chief justice and others to prevent them from judging his various gambits to retain power. A legal reckoning is overdue.
Still, Pakistan's democrats, now led by Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, cannot afford to let Musharraf hijack the national agenda indefinitely. The courts should deal with him in their own time. This is Pakistan's moment to move decisively forward, not to rehash the past.
The urgent priority for Zardari and Sharif is to work together in their coalition government to provide their nation of 165 million with a new president, with fewer draconian powers. They need to restore Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and constitutional rule. To affirm civilian control over nuclear bombs. And to provide jobs and tackle inflation.
For any of this, a credible show of political unity is essential. The military, led by Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, must have no excuse to intervene yet again in politics, as the army has done many times in the past with disastrous results. These are messages Bush, who bankrolled Musharraf with $10 billion in military aid, can usefully drive home.
Externally, the fragile peace Musharraf brokered with India must be strengthened. While Kashmir is an irritant, it is not worth fighting any more wars. All sides must recognize that.
And Musharraf's successors must find a way to halt the surge of extremism that bedevils the nation. Taliban-friendly radical Islamists now dominate Pakistan's tribal regions on the border with Afghanistan, with the support of some in Pakistan's security services. That threatens Pakistan's stability, provides shelter for Al Qaeda and creates friction with Afghanistan, where 2,500 Canadian troops are deployed. Dealing with extremism may prove the fledgling government's toughest task. But Pakistanis have had their fill of this chaos.
In national elections six months ago the voters rebuffed not only Musharraf's camp but also the Islamist parties. That gives Zardari and Sharif the legitimacy to reassert Islamabad's control over all parts of the country, and to confront terror. Now, at least, the people of Pakistan will choose their path, wherever it may lead. It is about time.
The world, Canada included, can best help by providing moral encouragement and material support for the new government.
Musharraf's exit ends a period of political limbo in which neither Parliament nor the presidency governed effectively. Much now depends on the quality of leadership shown by Zardari and Sharif, and their willingness to co-operate. For Pakistan's sake, they must.
