Word: sharif
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...unclear how and when this final chapter will play out, but, true to Shakespeare, the main characters are flawed, and the drama replete with intrigues and power grabs. Sharif is now hailed by many Pakistanis as a warrior for democracy, but during two previous terms as Prime Minister in the 1990s, his administrations were widely regarded as inept, corrupt and autocratic. Then there's Benazir Bhutto, another ex-PM agitating to return from exile. Given her glamorous political pedigree (her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was also a former leader, who was executed by the army), her supporters worship...
...Musharraf has become so vulnerable that even an opposition figure who has long been absent poses a serious threat. Now in exile in Jeddah, where Saudi authorities have him under virtual house arrest, the 57-year-old Sharif continues to haunt Musharraf, 64. His return to Pakistan, though brief, has effectively changed the country's power equation. In the immediate aftermath of Sharif's deportation, public reaction was muted. But there is a growing sense of a nation spoiling for a fight. The day after Sharif's failed comeback from exile, his political party, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PMLN...
...Musharraf's woes go beyond Sharif. Support in both the army he leads and the political party he founded, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), is hemorrhaging over a proposed power-sharing deal with Bhutto. It would require Musharraf to shed his uniform, drop corruption charges against Bhutto, which have kept her in exile since 1999, and do away with the constitutional amendment that allows the President to dissolve Parliament. Musharraf would get the backing of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party to stay as President, while she gets a shot at being Prime Minister. But the deal has stalled...
...Musharraf also risks Bhutto turning on him. The re-emergence of Sharif, just as her own popularity crumbles over her dealings with a loathed general, has cast a shadow upon her own return, now scheduled to be announced this week. If the talks fail, Bhutto has said she will embark on her own comeback tour. Her reputation as a tireless crusader for democracy, however, has been tainted by associating with Musharraf. At the same time, she may be forced into a partnership with the President just to save her political career. "It's a damned-if-you-do and damned...
...Because Pakistan is a frontline state in the war on terror, what happens there is closely followed by Washington. The State Department has studiously stayed away from condemning Sharif's deportation. "It's a matter for the Pakistanis to resolve," said spokesman Sean McCormack. "The Pakistani Supreme Court has made a judgment about this issue and the decision to deport Mr. Sharif runs contrary to that, but it is still a pending legal matter in Pakistan, so we're not going to have anything to say about...