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Analysis: Bhutto-Musharraf Faceoff

Council on Foreign Relations

November 7, 2007
Prepared by: Jayshree Bajoria

President Pervez Musharraf’s main political opponent, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has demanded that he end emergency rule, step down as army chief, and promise to hold elections by January 2008. If he refuses, Bhutto says, her Pakistan People’s Party will carry out a mass demonstration on Friday and a protest march (BBC) next week. The ultimatum risks escalating Pakistan’s political crisis to a new level of violence but experts say Bhutto’s challenge is seen as vital in galvanizing opposition to Musharraf’s November 3 decree, which some have called a second coup.

Under Musharraf’s emergency decree, all public protests are banned. The authorities have warned they will not allow Friday's demonstration. Rawalpindi Mayor Javed Akhlas warned (al-Jazeera): “We will ensure that they don't violate the ban on rallies, and if they do it, the government will take action according to the law."

Musharraf’s state of emergency and suspension of the constitution was largely prompted by fears of an unfavorable ruling from the Supreme Court on his reelection as president. He went on to dismiss Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and several other judges who refused to give legal sanction to the emergency. Musharraf thenarrested hundreds of protesters, shut down independent television news outlets, and placed political opponents and social and human rights activists under house arrest (CSMonitor). Protests have continued, with Chaudhry leading calls for a popular uprising (AsiaNews).

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.