The people of Pakistan are being courted by the politicians once again as the country prepares to go to the polls in five weeks' time. The new government assuming the elections go ahead as planned will be in charge of celebrations later in the year to commemorate 50 years of independence. That the country has been under military rule for almost 25 of those 50 years does not auger well for the longevity of the next government. Hopefully the next incumbent of the prime minister's large white mansion in Islamabad will have the determination and ability to tackle economic mismanagement and endemic corruption but the signs are not good..
Ms Benazir Bhutto is still hopeful of a return to power. Her Pakistan People's Party, she maintains, is the only truly national party and thus the only one likely to get an overall majority. The voters however might not see it that way. In the first place, she must explain why a president has removed her from power for corruption and misrule for the second time. In addition, she must explain how her husband has come to be charged with the murder of her brother (and rival) Murtaza Bhutto.
It is her brother's murder which threatens to destroy her political career for good. He and six of his colleagues were shot dead by police in September. The police have argued that Murtaza's bodyguards opened fire first, but an independent inspection by Scotland Yard (initiated by Ms Bhutto) suggests conspiracy and cover up. There were over 140 bullets fired in the confrontation yet the inspectors could find not even a fragment of one. Street lighting had been switched off in advance of the shooting and ballistics evidence shows that at least one police gun had been fired from behind Murtaza's group.
The evidence points to murder by local police, but on whose orders? Relations between Ms Bhutto's brother and her husband could not have been worse so suspicion has fallen on him. Equally, the killings greatly destabilised the government and directly brought about its removal by President Leghari, so Ms Bhutto claims that the killings were ordered by persons opposed to her. Ms Bhutto's former intelligence chief, and several senior police officers have also been arrested. Doubtless, no stone will be unturned by the interim government between now and the election.
The choice for the people at the polls will not be inspiring. Ms Bhutto, who presided for three years over worsening corruption and a total inability to steer the economy within IMF guidelines, will be up against Mr Nawaz Sharif of the Muslim League. He and his party were sacked by the president six years ago for corruption and incompetence.
A new face will be Mr Imran Khan, Pakistan's former cricket captain and a person dedicated to rooting out corruption. His Movement for Justice has much to do if it is to have any real chance of success but he has developed a populist platform (albeit narrowly based) which may gather the votes. If his party fails to make the break through then the Islamic fundamentalists might increase their influence greatly. With neighbouring Afghanistan descended into chaos, a boost for Pakistan's fundamentalists is the last thing the region needs.