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Court Clears Musharraf to Run Again
Supporters rally in Islamabad after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf won a bid to seek a second five-year term.
(By John Moore -- Getty Images)
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Musharraf, however, was given a special exemption after he broke a promise to retire from the military by the end of 2004. The exemption expires Dec. 31.
Lawyers seeking to disqualify him say he should not be able to win a new term that would last until 2012 using the current exemption. The government counters that the exemption still applies.
On Friday, the court avoided the substantive issues and instead appeared to throw out the petitions on a technicality. Political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi said that means there is still room for additional challenges, though he conceded that "the odds are not in favor of the opposition."
"Musharraf got a major boost from today's ruling," he said.
Rizvi said the court may have been intimidated by talk among Musharraf's aides that the government would declare emergency rule, or even martial law, if the decision did not go their way.
Musharraf's popularity has been in free fall this year, and just weeks ago he seemed to be legally and politically trapped. But his government cracked down hard on some opponents while negotiating with others, and that strategy of division seems to be paying off.
Several opposing political parties have said they will resign from the assemblies on Tuesday to protest Musharraf's plans. That could lead to the dissolution of the assembly in the North-West Frontier Province, which could erode the credibility of the vote because all four provincial assemblies are supposed to participate. But it is not expected to affect the final outcome.
The assemblies, which came to office in 2002 elections that were marred by irregularities, are packed with Musharraf's supporters. Their term expires in November.
Many of Musharraf's opponents who had gathered at the court Friday conceded that their only hope for blocking Musharraf may be mobilizing large protests -- something they have not been able to do recently despite repeated attempts.
"This decision will now be fought in the streets of Pakistan," said Roebad Khan, a retired civil servant. "They are the ultimate court."
