rediff.com: Report hints at return to civilian rule in Pak: PTI

The Pakistani military regime is seriously considering a proposal to put in place an interim civilian set-up under a prime minister, with Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf replacing President Rafiq Tarar as head of state, a newspaper reported in Islamabad on Friday.

The president is expected either to step down or go on indefinite medical leave, paving the way for the chief executive to assume office, The Nation reported.

A final decision is expected in the near future, if not soon after General Musharraf's return from New York, where he has gone to attend the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, it said.

The chief executive's role as head of government will be taken over by a "comparatively clean" politician. According to the report, the military government was seriously considering the changes because of formidable problems it faced on internal and external fronts.

The government has come to recognise that its efforts to secure a fresh programme of financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are unlikely to succeed unless there is a swift return to civilian rule.

This will also neutralise India's refusal to enter into diplomatic negotiations with Pakistan as long as the government is headed by a soldier. Besides, the consideration of installing a civilian set-up seems to have been necessitated by the military's discomfort at directly negotiating on controversial subjects like foreign aid, Kashmir and nuclear non-proliferation.

The report pointed to the growing rift within the ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League as a precursor to the appointment of an interim civilian prime minister, who would probably come from that party.

Senior PML leaders who have, over the past few months, mounted a serious challenge to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharief's presidency of the party, are expected to play a significant role in the interim administration.

The sources said the make-up of the interim federal and provincial governments is likely to reflect the regional strength of different political parties, giving the impression of a national interim set-up.

However, much depends on Pakistan's major diplomatic and political partners' still "undisclosed" commitment to the military government in lieu of swift return to civilian rule.

The return to civilian rule may be a pre-condition to the settlement of major issues -- the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Afghanistan, Kashmir, financial assistance and talks with India -- with the support of the US, Japan, European Union and Commonwealth.

However, there are two imponderables that will affect the government decision: the ability of the co-operating politicians to deliver public support on the difficult decisions required, as well as the necessary indemnities and constitutional changes, and the quid pro quo offered by the western powers.

If either the politicians fail to show their ability to deliver the goods, or the western powers' commitments prove to be either inadequate or evasive, the government will probably opt for military rule and fight it out.


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