Musharraf finally gets his kit off!

[Asi-Irish]

So Musharraf has now become a civilian and he is about to dispatch high level delegations to the US and Britain to advocate for a continuation of his state of emergency.

Musharraf's shedding of his uniform will most likely be welcomed by Western powers, and will probably give the General (retired) some respite from the avalanche of criticism he has faced in the past few months, and in the past few weeks in particular.

But what does this mean for ordinary Pakistanis and the political class?

Options for the political parties are limited.

If they boycott the elections, they risk forfeiting most of their political influence (not to mention their salaries and benefits).

If they take part in the elections and together win a 2/3 majority in parliament, they have the power to impeach the president (although the president could probably dissolve parliament if they followed this route).

There are rumours these days that the ISI is already out there preparing the former general's preferred outcome: a weak coalition government which needs the backing of the president and the army to get anything done.

As a Pakistani mate of mine so eloquently put it today, "Nobody gives a fark about the elections. The whole democracy thing is a sham. Democracy doesn't work. The elite always wins out."

In my opinion, Musharraf will survive to serve out the next full term.

Pretty sad...

[irishpeoplearewhingers]

Dictators get such bad press these days.