President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan

Pakistan has mostly remained politically unstable since its existence in 1947. The military rulers have many a time snatched the political power from the democratic governments by dissolving the democratic parliaments. They have hanged or threatened to hang the elected prime ministers and sometimes compelled them to leave the country and exiled them on the condition to not to come back for a given period otherwise they will be thrown behind the bars. Such incidents have become common aspects in Pakistan. Pakistan is under the burden of many other problems. One is the Muslims who left India at the time of division of the country are treated as refugee and as the second class citizens and the other that people of conservative Muslim thoughts specially belonging to Jamat-E-Islami consider the Muslims of other classes as non-Muslims and do violent activities against them are some of such actions are encouraged by them.

Today, because of the above reasons, once again there has become the atmosphere of political instability that has never been so before. Conservative and fundamental thoughts and hate for the people of other faiths and encouragement of such a tendency have brought Pakistan in such a position that has produced worries not only in Pakistan and its people having impartial views but its neighbouring countries and even America. The effort of the former military ruler Zia-Ul-Haq to make Pakistan, country of fundamental Islamic thoughts has become true. Pakistan has become a centre for the fundamentalists and the terrorists now. All the countries and especially the neighbours of Pakistan, i.e. India and Afghanistan are fed up with the terrorists who get asylum and training in Pakistan. In fact now the condition is that these terrorists have gone out of control of Pakistan. In future, it is expected that Pakistan will be the great loser because of these activities.

In the last days the Operation Sunrise that worked on the Red Mosque in Pakistan is enough to make one understand that Pakistan is now suffering because of this. After the military action over Red Mosque, the terrorist organizations are aiming at the defense targets. All this shows that these religious terrorists have spread their powers to the extent that it is difficult to control them. In the last days, a report was published from Afghanistan that revealed that mostly the terrorists come from Pakistan or they have got training in Pakistan. Now it is also being doubted that Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden has got asylum somewhere in Pakistan.

Anyhow it is sufficient to understand that Pakistan is near its own destruction. The condition may blast anytime. Now at this juncture of time the anxiety to think over is that if the extremists take hold over the rule of Pakistan or the fundamental religionists take power in their hands, what will be the fate of atomic weapons lying in the store house of Pakistan? If the nuclear weapons go in the hands of people who have inhuman feelings and kill innocent people and claim themselves to be the right persons for the heaven, then to what extent, the security can be expected. This issue has become a point of concern for all countries of the world.

In the atmosphere of this political instability in Pakistan, there is a great struggle for capturing the power. The action taken by Gen. Pervez Musharraf against the terrorists has made the fundamentalists angry. The dismissal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhary has spoiled the atmosphere in Pakistan. The reinstatement of Justice Choudhary has given a string jerk to Gen. Musharraf. The exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also tried to put more hurdles before Gen. Musharraf by his drama of coming back to Pakistan after seven years. On the other side Benazir Bhutto is also trying to take benefit of the situation by her talks so that she can play an impressive role in the politics of Pakistan. As the issue couldn't be settled so both the leaders haven't reached a point of agreement till now.

Certainly not only in Pakistan, but everywhere in the world, the democratic powers must be in power. Usually the dictatorship governments haven't given good receipts. But undoubtedly Gen. Musharraf has started on attacking struggle against the terrorists in Pakistan that has never been done before. Neither any elected prime minister nor any military ruler has taken such an initiative as dared by Gen. Musharraf. But one thing is there that the Islami religionists are accusing Gen. Musharraf that he is doing all this under pressure from America. At present not only in Pakistan but in many other countries of the world, the public feelings are against America because of the dictatorship of the Bush administration and its other foreign policies. So the politicians in Pakistan who are against Musharraf will make best use of anti-American feelings among the public.

In such conditions the political future of Pakistan seems in the dark. The most important matter under concern is that the nuclear weapons must not go in the hands of the extremists because it is feared that if Gen. Musharraf is ousted from power, the nuclear power may come in the hands of the religionists. At the time of unsuccessful attempt of Nawaz Sharif to land in Pakistan the activity of Jamaat organization in his favour reflect it.