DATE=10/15/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUNDER
TITLE=PAKISAN'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT
NUMBER=5-44531
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: U-S officials describe Pakistan's new military
ruler as a highly-professional career officer who is
likely to impose order on the country and then quickly
hand power to a civilian government. But a Pakistani
professor of international relations says he thinks
the soldiers are likely to lead his nation for a very
long time. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports.
TEXT: U-S officials describe General Pervez
Musharraf, Pakistan's new `chief executive,' as a pro-
Western secularist and a critic of religious
extremists. They call him a skilled staff officer and
proven warrior with a distaste for politics that might
bring him to re-establish civilian rule soon.
In a speech to the nation, General Musharraf dismissed
many top officials and consolidated his grip on many
key institutions in Pakistan.
Pakistani-born International Relations Professor Adil
Najam says the change amounts to martial law in
everything but name. The Boston University professor
says previous military government came to power in
Pakistan promising to stay only a few months.
/// Najam Act ///
Those 90 days got extended to eleven years. This
particular coup is not even going through the
pretense of saying it is for a short time. All
indications are that they are suggesting that the
changes they want to bring are deep rooted enough
that it will require a longer time. And therefore
one can be reasonably sure that it will be longer
than that.
/// End Act ///
Professor Najam says the previous civilian government
was so unpopular that some Pakistanis welcomed the
military takeover.
He says General Musharraf is promising to change the
constitution so future governments will change less
often and have a stronger mandate from the voters. He
is also promising to improve the faltering Pakistani
economy and hold top politicians accountable for
corruption and other misdeeds.
/// Najam Act ///
All three of those items - that the military has come
in with constitutional reform, economic reform and
accountability - are items that the Pakistani public
would very much welcome. None of them however, are
things that are easy to deliver, or can be delivered
in the short term. Therefore, that may become the
basis for the military wanting to stay longer. But
it remains to be seen how long the people are willing
to wait before they see anything being delivered on
those three counts.
/// End Act ///
General Pervez Musharraf, was born in New Delhi,
India, but moved to Pakistan early in life. He speaks
the local languages of Pakistan as well as English and
Turkish.
He joined Pakistan's Army in 1964, was trained as an
artillery officer and led commando units on several
occasions. He was decorated for valor in one of
Pakistan's wars with India, got some of his
professional military education in Britain and served
on the faculty of military colleges in Pakistan.
(Signed).
NEB/JR/JP
15-Oct-1999 15:43 PM EDT (15-Oct-1999 1943 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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