New Delhi
3 November 2007
By VENKATESH KESARI and RAMESH RAMACHANDRAN
India was reluctant to condemn the imposition of martial law in
Pakistan on Saturday evening, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Government
choosing to tread cautiously instead of taking a clear position against the stifling of
democracy in the neighbouring country.
Prime Minister Singh, Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee and high officials
went into a huddle as the news of the sacking of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry and the arrest of Supreme Court Bar Association chief Eitzaz Ahsan began
trickling in. Ahsan successfully defended Chaudhry after he was suspended in March by
General Pervez Musharraf. Ahsan had represented the petitioners opposing General
Musharraf's re-election in the Supreme Court.
New Delhi issued a brief statement soon after the meeting called to take stock of the
situation, concluded. The spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said: "We regret
the difficult times that Pakistan is passing through. We trust that conditions of normalcy
will soon return permitting Pakistan's transition to stability and democracy to continue."
The Ministry's statement stood out in marked contrast to the response from the CPI(M)
and the Opposition BJP, which condemned the imposition of martial law in Pakistan. The
parties said that the developments in Pakistan were a setback to democracy and a "pre-
meditated blow" to stall a possible Pakistan Supreme Court ruling against the military
regime headed by General Pervez Musharraf.
A former high commissioner to Pakistan, Mr G Parthasarathy, welcomed the remarks by
the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs. "It is a well-worded statement," he told
this newspaper, "because India has not been a subject of controversy and hate in recent
days, because we have not interfered in Pakistan's internal affairs." When asked what
he though of the CPM's and the Opposition BJP's remarks, Mr Parthasarathy said that
the BJP has the "luxury of being in the Opposition" but the government's response has
to be "more measured". "Certainly they (BJP) reflect the sentiments of the people of India
but the government had to be more circumspect," he said, adding that the imposition of
martial law has been brought about by the combination of Pakistan Supreme Court's
impending verdict on Musharraf's reelection and the spectre of violence from spiralling
out of control.
Another former Indian diplomat, Mr MK Bhadrakumar, had a different take on the
developments in Pakistan. He felt that New Delhi's statement is "mild" and that it is
necessary for India to take a medium- to long-term view before formulating policies.
"[We] should not stand arrested for fear of annoying the Americans. India's Pakistan
policy is closely synchronising with US's regional policy but the US objectives are not
anywhere near the Indian objectives," he told this newspaper, "It is short-sighted to take
this attitude." He asserted that New Delhi must "shift gear", before alluding to the saying
that if neighbour's home catches fire, it could spread to ours too.
Mr Bhadrakumar cautioned that the US would like to see Pakistan toeing the American
line on Iran and a Pakistan that is subservient to the US agenda suits Washington. "Like
Iraq, the US might favour a military approach to the situation. The Americans have a
chariot in the Pakistan Army, which does not enjoy popular support for taking harsh
measures against extremist elements, who are marginal today, but if they are driven into
a corner, it will lead to some kind of showdown. Musharraf is gearing up but there are
disquieting signs already and he may have difficulty with carrying the US agenda. It
could lead to meltdown of the Pakistani state," he said, adding that ""Afghanistan is a
example of the US gameplan."
Mr Bhadrakumar, who served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over
29 years, went on to state that it was clear that the democratic transformation of Pakistan
cannot be through normal means, like dialogue and consensus. "In a fragmented policy
like Pakistan's, what was needed was dialogue and an inclusive approach providing
space for political parties including Nawaz Sharif's but it didn't suit the US gameplan,"
he said.
Opposition BJP condemned imposition of martial law in Pakistan and wanted India to put
pressure on General Pervez Musharraf for restoration of democracy while the Congress
hoped that the "present turbulence" will settle down soon. The Left parties, in turn,
described it as a setback for democracy, saying it was a "pre-meditated blow" to stall a
possible Pakistan Supreme Court ruling against the military regime headed by
Musharraf.
"Musharraf has shown his true colour as a dictator," BJP Spokerperson Rajiv Pratap
Rudy said, noting that the clamping of martial law in Pakistan will impact not only that
country but the entire region. "Whatever little rudiments of democracy existed in
Pakistan has been eliminated by this act," he said.
"The Government of India should condemn the act in strong words and talk to
international community to put pressure on Musharraf for restoration of democracy," Mr
Rudy said, emphasising that martial law in Pakistan will add to the instability of the
region.
The chairman of the All India Congress Committee's media department, Mr Veerappa
Moily, said that India always remain concerned about whatever happens in Pakistan as
it is part of the Indian subcontinent. "Pakistan is undergoing bad patches. It is a matter of
concern. We wish present turbulence will settle down soon and today or tomorrow bound
to get back to normalcy. It should be a temporary phenomenon," he said.
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that "the people of Pakistan will not support
such an anti-democratic step". The CPI, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and Revolutionary
Socialist Party (RSP) leaders aired similar sentiments.
Describing it as "a very unfortunate development", CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan
said that "it is a pre-meditated blow on whatever verdict the (Pakistani) Supreme Court
might have given. It is aimed at stalling the Pakistani people's march towards
democracy".
AIFB General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said that the move went against the people's
strong urge for democracy. "If the military rulers think they can safeguard their interests
like this, they are mistaken. They cannot be safe after this," he said.
Abani Roy of RSP said that the imposition of emergency was intended to kill whatever
democracy was left in Pakistan. He said: "Whenever there has been a democratic
movement in that country, the military rulers have undertaken such measures."
Incidentally, a former US Department of State official, Daniel Markey, had told this
newspaper last month in New Delhi that martial law is a "very reasonable possibility" in
Pakistan. Markey, who served on the Department of State's policy planning staff from
2003 to 2007, said that democracy is still "a risky game" in Pakistan and Washington
will be tempted to go along with Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf if he
contemplates martial law. "Washington will accept it. [It] has no choice," he had said,
indicating that Washington will rather have a moderate dictator and poor democracy in
Pakistan than any other scenario that might cause the country to further slide into chaos.
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