How’s this for a crime reduction strategy: lock up the potential victims? If the victims are safely in jail, no harm can come to them. That seems to be the perverse logic of the stated reason for the declaration of emergency in Pakistan. For if the fight against terrorism is the main reason, then what other logic is there to locking up secular and left leaning politicians, lawyers and community workers? Religious fundamentalists detest such people. Imran Khan was actually handed over to the authorities by the student wing of the fundamentalist Jamat-e-Islami. So much for enlightened moderation, or Musharaff’s roshan khayali.
We all know, of course, that Musharaff is following the logic of all dictators, especially Pakistani ones. That is the quest to remain in power at all costs, presented as being in the interests of the nation. The nation will disintegrate if the dictator does not remain in power. So the biggest obstacles to this, the courts and secular leaders, need to be removed. The fundamentalists, on the other hand, can be useful, for the dictator can say to his masters, the US: “look what you’ll get more of if I am not around.” Last time it was in the national interest that the dictator remains in power we had Zia, keeping the commies at bay. All the current problems were the result.
Many commentators have likened the situation in Pakistan to Iran just prior to the fall of the Shah. That analogy is probably not wrong. Musharaff is extremely unpopular at the moment- which probably accounts for why Benazir, having had corruption charges dropped, is hardening her stance against the government and sounding out to other opposition parties. No body wants to be seen shoring up a dictator when the whole of society is in revolt.
