THE QUESTION

Can President Musharraf survive as the leader of Pakistan if he continues to cooperate with the U.S.?

Posted by Ahmed Rashid, Zakaria & Ignatius on June 4, 2007 10:49 AM

FROM THE PANEL

Shekhar Gupta is the editor-in-chief of The Indian Express in New Delhi.

Judiciary Was So Wonderfully Compliant For So Long

Attributing Musharraf's demise merely to anti-Americanism is unfair to the Pakistani people, who are driven by a genuine democratic impulse. Pakistanis and Indians are critical of elected leaders, sometimes welcoming the discipline of authoritarian rule. But their patience always runs out, and Musharraf should have known he could not enjoy dictatorship forever.

shekhar gupta India | 176 COMMENTS
Jun 5, 2007 at 11:33 AM
Shim Jae Hoon is a Seoul-based journalist and commentator writing for a variety of international publications including YaleGlobal Online, The Straits Times of Singapore, The Taipei Times and Korea Herald. He was a correspondent for Far Eastern Economic Review in Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta.

Modernizing a Zealous, Feudal Pakistan

Dictators can pursue modernization, as in South Korean history, but they cannot ensure regime stability forever. Musharraf failed to use ample aid from the U.S. to develop Pakistan and fight poverty. Now he has no civilian power base to carry on these reforms when another general inevitably replaces him.

Shim Jae Hoon South Korea | 25 COMMENTS
Jun 5, 2007 at 9:34 AM
Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist based in Lahore, was the Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, for 22 years until the magazine was recently closed down. He presently writes for the Daily Telegraph in London, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Review of Books, BBC Online, The Nation, and academic and foreign affairs journals. He appears regularly on international TV and radio stations such as CNN and BBC World Service.

Musharraf = Military Rule, Cannot Survive

Musharraf cannot survive the year. His actions have pitted the armed forces against the Pakistani public, and if he continues to defy the public will, he may plunge the country into civil war. Cooperation with the U.S. is not the problem; the Pakistani people want an end to military rule, and the symbol of that is Musharraf.

Ahmed Rashid Lahore, Pakistan | 91 COMMENTS
Jun 4, 2007 at 4:51 PM
Lamis Andoni is a Middle East consultant for Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news station. She has been covering the Middle East for 20 years. She has reported for the Christian Science Monitor, the Financial Times and the main newspapers in Jordan. She was a professor at the Graduate School in UC Berkeley.

Classic Dictator: Tried to Play Both Sides

President Musharraf seems to be damned if he does continue cooperating with the U.S. -- and damned if he does not. The damage started when the U.S. and Pakistan supported extremists against the Soviet Union decades ago; now the extremists may be best poised to fill the vacuum when he falls.

Lamis Andoni Doha, Qatar | 17 COMMENTS
Jun 4, 2007 at 12:48 PM

READER RESPONSE

» Anju Chandel, New Delhi, India | There is a popular saying that Pakistan is run by 3 "As": Allah (God), Army and America! (Not necessarily in the same order!) Currently Pervez Mushar...
» Subhash Paradkar | (1) One needs to understand the history of Pakistan. Culture of Pakistan is a family oriented system just like many villages in India from which it re...
» M.Shahid Kamal | It is most unfortunate that it is the educated class of Pakistan without understanding the true meaning of democracy and freedom of speech are causing...
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