Pakistan Election Winners not so Moderate

The MSM has touted the recent parliamentary elections in Pakistan to be a victory for moderates and democracy. Nawaz Sharif who's party, the Pakistan Muslim League PML-N, won the second most seats to Pakistan People's Party. Sharif is in a strong position to form a coalition government with Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, the leader of PPP. Sharif was Pakistan's prime minister until Musharraf overthrew him in a coup. IF one starts to look at Sharif's track record as prime minister, it paints a vastly different picture then moderation and democracy.

Sharif was at the helm when Pakistan tested it's first nuclear bomb, and invaded India which resulted in a bloody war in the Kashmir mountains. He also met regulary with Osama bin Laden in the early 90s, and also received money from Saudi Arabia to overthrow Benazir Bhutto as prime minister. Sharif was overthrown in 1999 by Musharraf when he tried to implement Sharia law in Pakistan.

Now Sharif might position himself to repay Musharraf the favour, by forming a coalition with Zardari's PPP and force Musharraf to resign. Sharif controls the second largest party next to PPP. So he won't be at the helm of the coalition government but he will have tremendous influence.

As the United States scrambles to pick up the pieces of its shattered foreign policy in Pakistan, it can't take much solace from the political resurrection of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Mr. Sharif, whose Pakistani Muslim League-N party (PML-N) did much better than expected in Monday's elections, is now poised to join a coalition government aimed at restoring democracy.

Only he didn't have much of a record for democracy the two times he was prime minister in 1990 and 1996. His sudden return to centre stage should raise some concerns in the West. The PML-N leader, whose political mentor was General Zia ul-Haq, Pakistan's last military dictator, was prime minister in 1998 when the country obtained and exploded nuclear weapons.

His government invaded India in a surprise mountain war in Kashmir in 1999, just months after it had sought to normalize relations with New Delhi. And one of his last political acts as prime minister before he was overthrown in a military coup was to try to impose shariah law.

Since then, some former Pakistan intelligence officials, who are staunch al-Qaeda sympathizers, have said Mr. Sharif met regularly with Osama bin Laden in the 1990s and received financial support from the Saudi terrorist to overthrow Benazir Bhutto, then prime minister. Ms Bhutto was assassinated in December.

Mr. Sharif was not a candidate in Monday's election -- he was disqualified from standing because of criminal convictions for corruption while prime minister.

But now, the man who was only grudgingly allowed to return from exile in Saudi Arabia three months ago finds himself holding the key to the formation of a new government.

The PML-N secured 66 of the 268 contested seats in the election, second only to Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which won 87 seats. While the United States would like opposition party leaders to work with Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistan President, in some sort of power-sharing arrangement, it's unlikely to happen.

...

If a coalition government does try to take on Mr. Musharraf, it is likely to strip the presidency of the special powers he took for himself, including the right to dissolve parliament.

Mr. Zardari, now PPP co-chairman, insists he wants to form a "national government of consensus." Although he has not joined calls for Mr. Musharraf's resignation, yesterday he ruled out working with anyone from the previous government.

That makes Mr. Sharif indispensable as a power broker. His party controls Punjab, which is bigger than Pakistan's three other provinces put together. Mr. Sharif also stands to increase his party's strength in the new parliament by picking up former supporters of the pro-Musharraf wing of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

Almost 80% of PML-Q leaders were originally members of Mr. Sharif's party, who sided with Mr. Musharraf after the 1999 coup.

Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif will not find power sharing easy. Their parties have been enemies since 1988 and there is a history of deep personal animosity between the two men.

Mr. Zardari spent eight years in prison under Mr. Sharif facing charges of murder and corruption.