By Jerome Taylor
Published The Independent: 01 September 2007
Nawaz Sharif, declaring that he is determined to remove General Pervez Musharraf, has brushed aside fears that he faces jail if he returns to Pakistan. He has also set up a three-way struggle for leadership of the country that looks likely to reach a conclusion this month.
The former prime minister, who was deposed, briefly jailed and exiled by General Musharraf in a bloodless coup in 1999, said he was unafraid of the regime's threats to arrest him on corruption charges if he returns from exile.
"Musharraf's threats can't stop me from responding to my call of duty," he said in an interview with The Independent. "He must know the tide has turned against him and that he is fighting a losing battle.
"He's already put me in jail before. For 14 months I was kept in solitary confinement. I was kept in a little dungeon in a 16th-century fort and I was treated even worse than a prisoner of war. That is how he treated the country's democratically elected prime minister."
Mr Sharif was overthrown by the army in 1999 and later exiled to Saudi Arabia under a deal that was supposed to keep him out of Pakistani politics for at least 10 years. But last week Mr Musharraf's struggling regime was dealt a severe blow after the country's Supreme Court ruled that the former prime minister could return home. His faction of the Muslim League now leads a coalition that wants to remove the President from office and bring back democracy.
On Thursday, Mr Sharif raised the stakes by announcing he would return to Pakistan on 10 September to challenge the general's rule, which is already mired in a crisis with the country's judiciary. The announcement came against a backdrop of frantic talks between General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto, another former prime minister-in-exile, who is trying to negotiate her own return by arranging a power-sharing agreement with the regime.
Yesterday, Ms Bhutto met leaders of her PPP opposition party in London to decide whether to continue talks with Mr Musharraf, and whether they should set a date for her return, after failing to receive a public commitment from the general that he would relinquish his army role.
Also speaking in London, Mr Sharif attacked Ms Bhutto for negotiating with the general and accused her of reneging on previous commitments not to strike a deal with the military regime. "There can be no deals with dictators because we are struggling for the restoration of undiluted democracy in Pakistan," he said. "But [Bhutto] decided on another course and has entered into negotiations with Musharraf. The democratic forces in the country must not be trying to rescue the sinking ship of dictatorship. This is not the time to shake hands with dictatorship."
The prospect of two of Pakistan's most prominent opposition politicians returning from exile at a similar time will send shivers down the spine of Mr Musharraf, whose once seemingly unassailable rule is looking increasingly frail. Both Mr Sharif and Mrs Bhutto command popular followings back home, particularly in Sindh and Punjab, the two most populous states. Mr Musharraf's dispute with the judiciary, meanwhile, coupled with a rise in violence following the Red Mosque siege in Islamabad and criticism from the White House over his inability to stop al-Qa'ida sheltering in tribal areas, has left his government increasingly isolated.
Unlike Mrs Bhutto, Mr Sharif has consistently ruled out any negotiations with the President, an approach that has made him particularly appealing to Pakistan's Islamist parties but unpopular with Western governments and particularly the US. While Ms Bhutto has been cautious to avoid overly criticising US policy, Mr Sharif is often highly critical of the Bush government's support of General Musharraf.
Yesterday, Mr Sharif accused the Bush government of double standards in the way it selectively promotes democracy. "Bush preaches democracy in Iraq, he preaches democracy in Afghanistan but why is he supporting a uniformed President in Pakistan?" he asked. "Bush must not equate Musharraf with Pakistan."
Critics of Mr Sharif say that, despite his party's supposedly secular politics, his faction of the Muslim League is too close to religious parties, many of which espouse a Taliban-style implementation of sharia law in a country where most Muslims follow the relatively relaxed Hanafi tradition.
But, unlike Mr Musharraf and Ms Bhutto, Mr Sharif's relationship with the religious parties may in fact make him a leader who could stem the rise of extremism inside Pakistan if he is allowed to return.
"Sharif has always had an extremely ambiguous relationship with the religious right in Pakistan," says Farzana Shaikh, an expert on Pakistan at the think-tank Chatham House. "But it could be in the interest of the US, and probably the wider world, to have the Islamist vote channelled through the relatively moderate Sharif faction of the Muslim League rather than the more extreme Islamist parties."
The former prime minister, who was deposed, briefly jailed and exiled by General Musharraf in a bloodless coup in 1999, said he was unafraid of the regime's threats to arrest him on corruption charges if he returns from exile.
"Musharraf's threats can't stop me from responding to my call of duty," he said in an interview with The Independent. "He must know the tide has turned against him and that he is fighting a losing battle.
"He's already put me in jail before. For 14 months I was kept in solitary confinement. I was kept in a little dungeon in a 16th-century fort and I was treated even worse than a prisoner of war. That is how he treated the country's democratically elected prime minister."
Mr Sharif was overthrown by the army in 1999 and later exiled to Saudi Arabia under a deal that was supposed to keep him out of Pakistani politics for at least 10 years. But last week Mr Musharraf's struggling regime was dealt a severe blow after the country's Supreme Court ruled that the former prime minister could return home. His faction of the Muslim League now leads a coalition that wants to remove the President from office and bring back democracy.
On Thursday, Mr Sharif raised the stakes by announcing he would return to Pakistan on 10 September to challenge the general's rule, which is already mired in a crisis with the country's judiciary. The announcement came against a backdrop of frantic talks between General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto, another former prime minister-in-exile, who is trying to negotiate her own return by arranging a power-sharing agreement with the regime.
Yesterday, Ms Bhutto met leaders of her PPP opposition party in London to decide whether to continue talks with Mr Musharraf, and whether they should set a date for her return, after failing to receive a public commitment from the general that he would relinquish his army role.
Also speaking in London, Mr Sharif attacked Ms Bhutto for negotiating with the general and accused her of reneging on previous commitments not to strike a deal with the military regime. "There can be no deals with dictators because we are struggling for the restoration of undiluted democracy in Pakistan," he said. "But [Bhutto] decided on another course and has entered into negotiations with Musharraf. The democratic forces in the country must not be trying to rescue the sinking ship of dictatorship. This is not the time to shake hands with dictatorship."
The prospect of two of Pakistan's most prominent opposition politicians returning from exile at a similar time will send shivers down the spine of Mr Musharraf, whose once seemingly unassailable rule is looking increasingly frail. Both Mr Sharif and Mrs Bhutto command popular followings back home, particularly in Sindh and Punjab, the two most populous states. Mr Musharraf's dispute with the judiciary, meanwhile, coupled with a rise in violence following the Red Mosque siege in Islamabad and criticism from the White House over his inability to stop al-Qa'ida sheltering in tribal areas, has left his government increasingly isolated.
Unlike Mrs Bhutto, Mr Sharif has consistently ruled out any negotiations with the President, an approach that has made him particularly appealing to Pakistan's Islamist parties but unpopular with Western governments and particularly the US. While Ms Bhutto has been cautious to avoid overly criticising US policy, Mr Sharif is often highly critical of the Bush government's support of General Musharraf.
Yesterday, Mr Sharif accused the Bush government of double standards in the way it selectively promotes democracy. "Bush preaches democracy in Iraq, he preaches democracy in Afghanistan but why is he supporting a uniformed President in Pakistan?" he asked. "Bush must not equate Musharraf with Pakistan."
Critics of Mr Sharif say that, despite his party's supposedly secular politics, his faction of the Muslim League is too close to religious parties, many of which espouse a Taliban-style implementation of sharia law in a country where most Muslims follow the relatively relaxed Hanafi tradition.
But, unlike Mr Musharraf and Ms Bhutto, Mr Sharif's relationship with the religious parties may in fact make him a leader who could stem the rise of extremism inside Pakistan if he is allowed to return.
"Sharif has always had an extremely ambiguous relationship with the religious right in Pakistan," says Farzana Shaikh, an expert on Pakistan at the think-tank Chatham House. "But it could be in the interest of the US, and probably the wider world, to have the Islamist vote channelled through the relatively moderate Sharif faction of the Muslim League rather than the more extreme Islamist parties."
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW:
President Pervez Musharraf’s is threatening to arrest you on corruption charges if you return on the 10th. Are you willing to risk going to jail?
I am going back to Pakistan to make my own contribution to the struggle of our people to establish the rule of law, to ensure the supremacy of the constitution, the restoration of genuine democracy.
I’m not scared of the President’s threats. He’s already put me in jail before. For fourteen months I was kept in solitary confinement, I was kept in a little dungeon in a sixteenth century fort and I was treated even worse than a prisoner of war. That is how he treated the country’s democratically elected prime minister who and the largest mandate in the history of Pakistan’s democracy.
There are no corruption cases against me, none whatsoever. Despite his best efforts in the eight years of Musharraf’s tyranny he’s not been able to find out anything against me – no allegations of corruption, kick backs or commissions.
Musharraf’s threats can’t stop me from the call of duty and my commitment and he must know that the tide has turned against him, that he is fighting a loosing battle. The civil society – lawyers, activists and the media – are on one side and on the other side are the forces who want to push history backwards. There is a new Pakistan emerging from the people’s sacrifices and struggle for democracy that has been launched over the last several months. Pakistanis will not accept any patchwork of dictatorship and democracy. The solution to all problems lies in restoring the constitution and undiluted democracy.
I’m not scared of the President’s threats. He’s already put me in jail before. For fourteen months I was kept in solitary confinement, I was kept in a little dungeon in a sixteenth century fort and I was treated even worse than a prisoner of war. That is how he treated the country’s democratically elected prime minister who and the largest mandate in the history of Pakistan’s democracy.
There are no corruption cases against me, none whatsoever. Despite his best efforts in the eight years of Musharraf’s tyranny he’s not been able to find out anything against me – no allegations of corruption, kick backs or commissions.
Musharraf’s threats can’t stop me from the call of duty and my commitment and he must know that the tide has turned against him, that he is fighting a loosing battle. The civil society – lawyers, activists and the media – are on one side and on the other side are the forces who want to push history backwards. There is a new Pakistan emerging from the people’s sacrifices and struggle for democracy that has been launched over the last several months. Pakistanis will not accept any patchwork of dictatorship and democracy. The solution to all problems lies in restoring the constitution and undiluted democracy.
What will you and your supporters do if you are arrested as soon as you step off the plane?
We’ll resist that. I’m with the 160m people of Pakistan and they are with me. I’m sure that they do not tolerate Mr Musharraf’s atrocities and brutalities any more and that is why they are struggling against his dictatorship. Mr Musharraf doesn’t believe in the rule of law. He believes in might is right and the law of the jungle. He should know that there is a constitution and a law of the land that he must respect.I think the people of Pakistan are more powerful than Mr Musharraf who is simply wearing the uniform of a commando. He acts like a commando, he only knows how to settle things through the barrel of a gun. This is the 21st century, Pakistan is a civilised country and he can’t turn us into an uncivilised nation. We will resist that.
Some of your critics, particularly those wary of Pakistan’s slide towards extremism, believe that you have been playing to the Islamic gallery quite a lot recently. Are their fears correct?
We are a moderate party, progressive and forward looking. That is what our track record is. I’ve been elected two times the prime minister of the country, we have had the biggest mandate in the history of Pakistan. We’ve always fought elections single handedly so we will have no electoral alliance with any other party?
We are a moderate party, progressive and forward looking. That is what our track record is. I’ve been elected two times the prime minister of the country, we have had the biggest mandate in the history of Pakistan. We’ve always fought elections single handedly so we will have no electoral alliance with any other party?
Does that mean you would rule out any type of alliance with Islamist politicians such as Maulana Fazlur Rahman [head of Pakistan‘s Jamiat Ulema-I-Islam]?
Maulana Rahman came into the parliament because Mr Musharraf marginalized the liberal forces in the 2002 elections. The extremists never found their way into the parliament when the country was a democracy. For the first time, Mr Musharraf’s dictatorship paved the way for the extremist forces to take a bigger share in the parliament. Extremism and terrorism only thrives under a dictatorship. They never thrive under a democracy. Take the Lal Masjid incident for instance. Why did Mr Musharraf allow in the first instance for extremists to build an arms cache in the capital? We have been fighting terrorism, our track record shows that under Clinton. But the war against terrorism cannot be fought single handedly by one man. If we have to win this battle then we need the support of the all 160million Pakistanis.
Whoever wins the upcoming power struggle will have to deal with Pakistan’s problem with terrorism, both internal and external. How will you tackle terrorism?
Whoever wins the upcoming power struggle will have to deal with Pakistan’s problem with terrorism, both internal and external. How will you tackle terrorism?
We have to fight terror in a manner that allows us to win the battle. We are against and condemn terrorism of all forms anywhere in the world. But you see we have to devise a wise policy to eliminate terrorism. It’s only through democracy that we can fight these menaces, not through dictatorship.The country is in a deep mess and it is making Pakistan ungovernable. Mr Musharraf has taken Pakistan to a level that I’m honestly not sure what one will have to do to redress the present situation.
How will you deal with the United States, which seems, if anything, to be hedging its bets with your rival Bhutto rather than yourself?
Well I don’t know whether the US is backing Bhutto or not but what is most important is that Bush must not equate Musharraf with Pakistan. This is not a correct policy. It is not Musharraf who represents the 160m people of Pakistan. Dictatorship is dictatorship, democracy is democracy and we can’t mix up the two.
Bush is preaching democracy in Iraq, he preaches democracy in Afghanistan but why is he supporting a uniformed president in Pakistan?
Mr Bush should not support a man who is guilty of subverting the constitution of Pakistan. He should not support a man who is guilty of throwing the chief justice out of the window and he should not support a man who does not believe in decency, morality, or the rule of law.
Mr Bush is supporting one man against the wishes and aspirations of 160m people and Pakistanis feel let down by this.
What is your relationship like now with Bhutto? Earlier this year there were all sorts of rumours that you would come up with a joint opposition strategy together, that you might join forces?
Bhutto and I both signed our Charter of Democracy and she has violated that document. We are both signatories to that document, which clearly says there can be no deals with dictators, especially military dictators. We understood that we are struggling for the restoration of undiluted democracy in Pakistan. There should be no question of any deals and I thought we were both committed to that.
But Bhutto has decided to take another course and enter into negotiations with Musharraf. I don’t know why she’s done this because now is supposed to be the time for all the political forces in the country to unite on a common platform and bring back democracy.
So why do you believe Bhutto would not be good for Pakistan?
I’ve never said that Bhutto wouldn’t be good for Pakistan, I only say that the democratic forces must not be trying to rescue the sinking ship of dictatorship. The sinking ship is now breathing its last and this is not the time to shake hands with dictatorship.
Do you think the army will support you?
The army must be fed up of Mr Musharraf’s misrule. He has done nothing but use the army to perpetuate his illegal rule. The army knows that he is increasingly becoming a liability for the institution itself. I think the army is very unhappy with what happened in Karachi when Mr Musharraf encouraged MQM to defy the chief justice’s rally there.
You are committed nonetheless to seeing the army exit the political stage?
I think it is the time now for the Pakistani military to go back to its barracks. The military has no role in politics any more, that is very clearly laid down in the constitution and they should never meddle in politics again
Given the highly fragile state of Pakistani politics at the moment doesn’t your return risk making the situation worse - particularly if there is violence?
It is not me, it is Mr Musharraf’s actions that are destabilising the country - it is his nefarious designs. It is dictatorship that is ruining the country, not the democratic forces. We are trying to encourage stability by providing Pakistanis with the right to elect and reject a government.
If you want to serve as prime minister the constitution will need to be changed. Is it your desire to once more run the country as prime minister?
If the people decide to give me the honour of serving them I would be prepared to do that but I’m not looking for office at this point. My personal safety doesn’t matter, we all come and go but the country is more important. My number one objective is to put our country back on the rails, back on its democratic path. My primary objective is to restore the rule of law, ensure the supremacy of parliament, to ensure the independence judiciary and the freedom of the press.
If you are allowed to land and you are not arrested what are you going to spend the first few weeks doing when you return?
I will travel all over the country to meet the people of Pakistan. I will caution the people that a man is trying to perpetuate his misrule once again and I will fight for their rights. We have to fight this law of the jungle, the idea that might is right. Martial law has been a disaster for Pakistan and it’s my duty to tell the people that.
Do you think the army will support you?
The army must be fed up of Mr Musharraf’s misrule. He has done nothing but use the army to perpetuate his illegal rule. The army knows that he is increasingly becoming a liability for the institution itself. I think the army is very unhappy with what happened in Karachi when Mr Musharraf encouraged MQM to defy the chief justice’s rally there.
You are committed nonetheless to seeing the army exit the political stage?
I think it is the time now for the Pakistani military to go back to its barracks. The military has no role in politics any more, that is very clearly laid down in the constitution and they should never meddle in politics again
Given the highly fragile state of Pakistani politics at the moment doesn’t your return risk making the situation worse - particularly if there is violence?
It is not me, it is Mr Musharraf’s actions that are destabilising the country - it is his nefarious designs. It is dictatorship that is ruining the country, not the democratic forces. We are trying to encourage stability by providing Pakistanis with the right to elect and reject a government.
If you want to serve as prime minister the constitution will need to be changed. Is it your desire to once more run the country as prime minister?
If the people decide to give me the honour of serving them I would be prepared to do that but I’m not looking for office at this point. My personal safety doesn’t matter, we all come and go but the country is more important. My number one objective is to put our country back on the rails, back on its democratic path. My primary objective is to restore the rule of law, ensure the supremacy of parliament, to ensure the independence judiciary and the freedom of the press.
If you are allowed to land and you are not arrested what are you going to spend the first few weeks doing when you return?
I will travel all over the country to meet the people of Pakistan. I will caution the people that a man is trying to perpetuate his misrule once again and I will fight for their rights. We have to fight this law of the jungle, the idea that might is right. Martial law has been a disaster for Pakistan and it’s my duty to tell the people that.
