National News
Holbrooke dismisses chances of Musharraf comeback
Posted on: Sat November 20, 2010
National Highlights
WASHINGTON : Pervez Musharraf has very little chance of regaining power in 2013 elections and any return to military rule would be a disaster, a senior US official said on Wednesday. He has about as much chance of coming back to power as (former Soviet) President (Mikhail) Gorbachev, Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told a gathering of US diplomats and security experts.
Musharraf has said he believes he has an even chance of regaining power. Holbrooke said Musharraf s comments should be taken with considerable scepticism and that the Musharraf was responsible in large part for the current struggle against extremism in the region.
Had he fulfilled his promises to President Bush to restore democracy, close down the extreme madrassas and do the right thing in the tribal areas, we wouldn t be in the situation we are today. He didn t keep his word, Holbrooke said. Holbrooke said any return to military rule would be a disaster for Pakistan, where the United States is seeking to buttress a weak civilian government that is crucial to its war against Taliban extremists in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Let us not be nostalgic for military rule . . . It would be a very big setback. You would have massive disruptions in the political system when stability is what you need, he said. Musharraf comes back and wins a democratic election? Fine. But as I indicated earlier, the chances of that are very slim.
Courtesy : Business Recorder