“A more democratic Pakistan is in the United States’ interest in the long run. In the near term, more trouble is likely,” was the conclusion of a Washington Post-editorial on Saturday as millions of Pakistanis went to polls to pick a new government.
The comment also appeared to reflect Washington’s anxieties following the Pakistani electoral process at a time when the US is looking to withdraw from Afghanistan. Pakistan’s anti-terror cooperation and land routes for withdrawal of military equipment from landlocked Afghanistan make it critically important.
The editorial begins with the observation that balloting appears likely to “produce a stronger set of civilian leaders who are more able to tackle the country’s deep economic problems and curb the overweening power of the military.”
“For all that, there’s not much reason for optimism that the multiple problems that bedevil US-Pakistani relations will get any easier. In fact, some may get worse.”
The newspaper also looks at the two apparent front-runners in the voting for the national parliament, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by Imran Khan, claiming that they “are both softer on the Pakistani Taliban and tougher on the United States than is either the military or the current civilian government.”
“Sharif has promised to negotiate with jihadists, while Khan says he will end “America’s war” against them and shoot down US drones.”
The Obama administration, the editorial said, will have to hope that the conventional wisdom predicting that Sharif will become prime minister proves correct and that the 63-year-old political war horse will deliver on his promises to revive the economy.
He (Sharif) has pledged to tackle the severe power shortages that are crippling Pakistani industry and build new infrastructure, including even a bullet train across the country.
During his previous term as prime minister, which was ended by a 1999 military coup, Sharif had a relatively cooperative relationship with the Clinton administration even though he presided over the country’s first nuclear test, the newspaper noted.
“If his priorities are really economic, he’ll have an incentive to keep US aid flowing: $1 billion annually has been promised, though some has been withheld in recent years. Sharif may also try to assert himself over the military, which has controlled Pakistani policy toward both the Taliban and Afghanistan under the present, elected government. Army chief Ashfaq Kayani, who has taken a tougher line than Sharif against the Pakistani Taliban, is due to retire this year.”
The Post goes on to allege that Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan is troublesome and that it’s unlikely a civilian leader will be able to change that.
Meanwhile the Washington Times reported that Pakistan’s historic national elections on Saturday will likely produce a hung parliament and a government intent on distancing itself from the US.
The contest has been dominated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former cricket star Imran Khan, whose recent tumble during a campaign event has left him bedridden, a report in the paper said.
“The wild card is going to be Imran Khan’s party, which candidate he takes the most votes from,” said William Milam, a former US ambassador to Pakistan who is now a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “Khan may get some sympathy votes these days because he fell off a forklift.”
