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Analysis: Challenges After Musharraf

Council on Foreign Relations

August 18, 2008
Author:
Jayshree Bajoria

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, under pressure to step down or face impeachment, announced his resignation (Dawn) on August 18. Pakistan's two ruling coalition parties had threatened to impeach him on charges that included violating the constitution, damaging the economy, and unlawfully dismissing senior judges. The country's army chief until last November, Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup and retained office through two controversial votes. His alliance with the Bush administration in its global "war on terror" and his crackdown on the judiciary and media had made him increasingly unpopular in Pakistan.

Experts say Musharraf's exit has left a power vacuum in the political corridors of Islamabad. Musharraf, as army chief and president, was arguably the most powerful leader in the country, but now it is unclear how much control the civilian government wields. Its rule so far has been marked by spiraling food and fuel prices (PDF), rising militant violence, and deteriorating relations with neighbors. Critics say the government has done little but argue about Musharraf's fate and the deposed judges' reinstatement.

Musharraf's resignation also signals the end of an important era in Pakistan's alliance with the United States. After much criticism of its support for Musharraf throughout his period of tumult last year, by August Washington appeared to be distancing itself from him. The White House called his impeachment an internal matter and when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was asked if the United States would offer Musharraf asylum, she said the issue was "not on the table."

Irfan Husain, a columnist for Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, says the biggest challenge for the United States today is "who to talk to in Pakistan." Husain says there are many centers of power "[a]nd it's very difficult to find someone who can speak for the whole country."

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Copyright 2008 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.