When will Gen Musharraf turn into Mr Musharraf

With the removal of all legal hurdles in the way of his second term, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf must now ensure a smooth transition to complete civilian democracy.

The Supreme Court dismissed the last pending challenge to President Musharraf's re-election on Thursday, thus enabling the election commission to officially notify the results of the October 6 presidential election, boycotted by the opposition.

The decision came a day after the president further amended the 1973 constitution which bars questioning of the proclamation of emergency in any court or forum.

"All legal hitches in the way of General Musharraf shedding his uniform now seem to have been removed by the post-provisional constitution order court," The Dawn said in its editorial 'Is legitimacy there?'

"General Musharraf has already pledged to the Supreme Court to doff his uniform before taking the oath of office as president, and armed with this decision and Wednesday's constitutional amendment, he may lift the emergency to bow to the international pressures on this score," The Dawn editorial said.

The dailies also raised questions about Musharraf's ability to hold free and fair polls in the country. "Will the nation have a fair and transparent election or will the pro-Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam caretakers mobilise the government machinery to ensure positive results and give a two-thirds majority to the 'king's party'?"

Another leading daily The News pointed out that with the many amendments to Pakistan's constitution, it had become like a patched document and was beginning to make 'less and less legal sense'.

"President Pervez Musharraf has given full protection to his emergency, and all the actions taken by him under it either as army chief or president. The order, in fact, makes it possible for him to lift the emergency without facing the threat of legal challenge. For the same reasons, the move makes it more likely that the president will finally slip out of uniform," read The News.

"It will be for the superior courts to decide later whether the amendments now being made are legal or constitutional, but if it ends in General Musharraf transforming into Mr. Musharraf, it may be the first step towards a change for the better."

On the 'indemnity order', The Post said it reflected President Musharraf's 'crippling sense of security'.

"Now that his election as president has been validated by the newly structured Supreme Court, it is likely that he will end the emergency sooner rather than later to silence the disquieting voices coming from the international community and thereby take yet another 'big step' towards a 'democratic' transition.

In this backdrop, this order is a smart strategy on the president's part to pre-empt post-emergency legal challenges," The Post edit read.

The Nation newspaper said that attorney general Malik Qayyum had promised that soon after the case was decided, General Musharraf would doff the uniform and take oath as Mr Musharraf.

"With the appointment of General Ashfaq Kayani, the issue of the next army chief has already been settled. There is no hurdle now in General Musharraf's way to hand over the army command and retain only the presidency, thus fulfilling a solemn promise made to the nation and the international community.

It is widely expected that the transition would take place by the weekend. What needs to be done simultaneously is to use his newly acquired powers to lift the emergency, described as a virtual-martial law both at home and abroad, as it deprives people of their basic rights by making them unjustifiable," The Nation added.