Impeachment a drama? (11082008)

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan has alleged that the impeachment of President (retd) General Musharraf is a drama. This drama according to the former successful cricketer, but not so successful politician, is enacted to divert the attention of the people, as well as, to give constitutional validity to the President. Either this is the wild imagination of the former cricketer or the coalition politicians are brilliant strategist working for the President! Among others not welcoming the impeachment move is Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who enabled the President to stay in power and his party is also responsible for supporting every military dictator in past, and some leading lights of the lawyers movement.
It may be argued that once the impeachment takes place then all of the above mentioned people become irrelevant to the political landscape of the country for the next five years, may be even longer. Thus, they face being cast to oblivion and this reaction may be attributed to that. However, a dispassionate analysis of the events leading upto the decision to impeach leaves little doubt that this was the only way the coalition could go, in fact the President left them little choice but to go do this.
The month preceding the decision to impeach, the President was on the road, visiting different cities exhorting the business community and general public about the various ills besetting the country and its economy, laying the blame squarely at the doorstep of the newly elected government. The implications were clear, the President appeared to be making a case for the use of 58(2)b, the constitutional provision which hangs over every government like a Damocles sward enabling the head of state, the President, to send the government packing home. While the President was busy running his own 58(2)b campaign, the political leaders were abroad busy in their summer vacations.
In the meantime due to heightened uncertainty and President's vote of no confidence in the state of economy the country was facing severe economic logjam, the stock market completely collapsed and a leading newspaper forecast bankruptcies of one hundred businessmen, most of them in textile sector due to deteriorating economic conditions.
Under the circumstances, the ruling coalition had few options left but to take some drastic action. The choice was to either restore judiciary and let the judiciary fight its battles to bring the president down or to take on the President directly. If the coalition had restored judiciary then they would have had a hostile President and an unfriendly sitting judiciary which had come into being as a result of November 3 emergency, in all probability the President would have derailed this move and used 58(2)b simultaneously. Thus, the current course of action adopted by the coalition partners, notwithstanding the criticism of its detractors, is the best that the coalition could have done.
The President has unwittingly not only united the coalition partners but also galvanised them against himself. All that is left for the President now, that is if he does not want to be put on a trial and given the death penalty, which is the least of what he deserves, is to resign in a hurry and get out of the country, because people of Pakistan do not want his death on their hands.