Exuberant Pakistanis greet former premier
LAHORE, Pakistan - Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned from seven years of exile Sunday, and this time he was allowed to stay.
Sharif, who tried to come home in September but was kicked out five hours later, looked almost shell-shocked as he walked out of the Lahore airport, where he was greeted by frantic crowds who carried him on their shoulders and shouted that they loved him.
His return from exile in Saudi Arabia complicates the already tumultuous politics of Pakistan, where President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency Nov. 3 after months of turmoil. The return paves the way for parliamentary elections that will likely lead to a messy coalition government rather than the stable one desired by the West, analysts said.
For Sharif and Musharraf, the political confrontation is personal. Musharraf, the country’s army chief, deposed Sharif in 1999, just after Sharif tried to prevent Musharraf’s plane from landing in Pakistan.
Sharif, best known for ordering the country’s first successful nuclear tests in 1998, returns to a much different country, one riven by sectarian clashes, terrorist attacks and anti-military sentiment. Pakistan is now seen as a cornerstone in the U.S.-led war on terror and where the fight against militants has been hurt by the deepening political crisis of recent months.
But Sharif, who accepted exile in Saudi Arabia instead of serving a life sentence stemming from convictions for hijacking and other charges, is also a much different man.
Once known as the military’s stooge, the 57-year-old Sharif now is seen as a symbol of opposition to military rule. Once considered a Muslim fundamentalist who wanted to set up Islamic law and declare himself the commander of the faithful, Sharif recently has adopted much more moderate tones. Gone are the anti-Western speeches and the desire for Islamic law. He has even said in recent interviews that he would support the war on terror - on his terms.
The arrival of Sharif at least temporarily takes the spotlight away from another opposition leader, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose own return from self-imposed exile Oct. 18 was overshadowed by bombings that killed at least 140 people. Bhutto and Musharraf had been negotiating a power-sharing deal, which she has said evaporated in the days after Musharraf declared the emergency.
In many ways, Sharif’s arrival sets up the same triangle of limited political choice that Pakistan has faced for decades: Sharif, a Bhutto or a military ruler.
But Sharif’s arrival also throws the country’s traditional power structure into upheaval. Bhutto and her Pakistan People’s Party, founded by her late father, a prime minister in the 1970s, have always relied on a populist platform opposed to military rule. In contrast, Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has been seen as pro-establishment and pro-military.
But in recent months, Bhutto’s popularity has plummeted as her unpopular negotiations with Musharraf became public. Sharif’s popularity has soared because of his repeated pledges not to do business with Musharraf.
It’s still not clear whether the opposition parties will participate in the parliamentary elections, scheduled for Jan. 8, or boycott them because of the emergency. Candidates from most parties, including Sharif’s, planned to submit petition papers for office by the deadline today. But the parties have until Dec. 15 to pull out.
Whichever party wins a majority will pick the country’s prime minister, who will have to work with Musharraf. The president, who most likely declared the emergency in part to secure his win in the presidential election, is supposed to step down as army chief this week and be sworn in for another five-year term.
Despite the enmity between Sharif and Musharraf and Sharif’s failed trip home Sept. 10, Pakistani authorities had little choice but to allow his return this time, largely because of pressure from the international community and support from the Saudi royal family, which is very influential in the Islamic world.
But the day before Sharif’s return, police arrested almost 4,000 supporters trying to make their way to the airport, said Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.