Was Pakistan better off under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto or Pervez Musharraf?

Bhutto

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by Robert C. Sage

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From an American citizen's perspective, Ms. Benazir Bhutto's government was democratically elected and it represented non-military leadership of Pakistan. The civilian oversight of the armed forces is essential to encouraging freedom and liberty. Of necessity, military governments, such as that of Mr. Pervez Musharraf, tend to degrade the rights and liberties of private citizens. Nonetheless, Mr. Musharraf has been a U.S. ally, especially regarding the "war on terror", al-Qaeda, Taliban and Afghanistan. He has also kept the US military from having an active operational role in Pakistan society which has avoided open warfare in the streets.

The truth of the matter is that historically, the US has had closer relationships with the Pakistan military than it has with civilian leaderships. There are various reasons for that occurrence, including the fact that America is the source for mush of the advanced military equipment, technologies and training. The current wartime footing of the US government tends to accentuate the military aspects of bilateral relations. The overwhelming likelihood is that the US would not have as close a relationship with a Ms. Bhutto as we have with Mr. Musharraf.

In terms of keeping American troops from taking liberties in Pakistan, I suspect that Mr. Musharraf may be more effective than Ms. Bhutto would have been under equivalent conditions. If the US were to have troops doing active work regularly in Pakistan, it seems that there would be much more violence in their streets. What has been seen is that the visibility of US troops and their active combat role causes deep upset and controversy in Muslim societies. Particularly because of the prominence of Pakistan's "Madras" hard-line Islamic schools and training of so many past terrorists in Pakistan, if the US had military roles there, it would galvanize opposition.

Thus, Ms. Bhutto, being from a respected, politically active family, was probably right for Pakistan at that time and perhaps Pakistan is better off with Mr. Musharraf at this time. It is unclear if a civilian government would have been able to repel the strong American requests for permission to pursue al-Qaeda and other terrorists who have found safe-havens in Pakistan. It is nothing short of amazing that he has managed to keep the Americans from coming into Pakistan's domestic scene. Although Pakistan is suffering from increased violence, the situation has not degenerated into another Iraq or Afghanistan. America is not completely satisfied, but it's friendly.

The latest news is that the US is leaning on Musharraf to allow Bhutto to return and she arrives October 18, in advance of parliamentarian elections in January. The two may have a power sharing agreement, allowing her to return to being Prime Minister, if he resigns as head of the army. The hope is that this would enable the government to regain popularity. Only time will tell.

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