Musharraf not out of woods yet: Benazir

WASHINGTON, Sept 28: President Pervez Musharraf is not out of the woods yet and the real challenge to him will come after the scrutiny of his nomination papers, says former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“This is a temporary reprieve and the real test will come when the nomination is challenged,” said Ms Bhutto while commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision on Gen Musharraf holding of two offices. In an interview with Dawn, Ms Bhutto said the judgment was expected to favour Gen Musharraf because the petitions filed against him dealt with an old issue, whether he can hold the offices of the army chief and the president together. The Supreme Court, she said, left it to the Election Commission to determine the eligibility of Gen Musharraf to contest once again for the office of the president while continuing as the army chief.

“If the EC decides in favour of Musharraf, there will be fresh legal challenges in the Supreme Court. The old challenge was not a serious work, the next will be,” she said.

She said the old petition pertained to the validation that has already been given to the president. The new challenge, she said, would follow the scrutiny of the nominations papers. The EC is already perceived to be under the presidency’s pressure, and recently amended a disqualification clause relating to Gen Musharraf, so it would likely decide in his favour, she added. “Then the candidates will go to the Supreme Court to challenge that decision, given that he is still a government servant and does not fulfil the mandatory lapse of two years after retirement, the petitioners will have a valid ground.”

Asked how Friday’s decision would impact the progress towards democracy, Ms Bhutto said it would affect it adversely, leading to a fresh period of uncertainty. This uncertainty, she said, would also be exploited by the militants trying to create a civil war in the country. The preoccupation with legal challenges, she added, would divert the government’s attention from real issues.