With Musharraf gone, Pak govt will now have no excuse for non-performance
19 Aug 2008, 1227 Hrs

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Islamabad, Aug 19 (ANI): Now, since the main factor (Pervez Musharraf) that unified PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif is off the scene, the two coalition partners will have to grapple with the main problems like economic slowdown, inflation, poverty, and a resurgent extremism, and they will have no excuse if they fail, say political analysts in the country.

Rasul Baksh Rais, a political analyst who teaches political studies at Lahore University of Management Sciences, said that the "excuse" of the two most powerful leaders now was over and that now they will have deliver results to the countrymen within a specific time frame.

"I think the political leaders have no excuse now. They have to address the immediate issues like inflation and the long-term structural problems of Pakistani polity. They can't use Musharraf as an excuse any more," the New York Times quoted Rais as saying.

He added that Musharraf's departure was a "great moment and a great change."

"It is a change about the democratic spirit and transition, and the establishment of constitutionality," he said, and added that it would also be a test of the political leadership. "It is now really a test of their ability and a test of their capacity to deliver," said Rais.

He added that since the Feb 18 general election, Pakistan had been in political limbo, neither fully governed by the Parliament nor by the president, with the two sides in constant conflict.

"This led to paralysis during which little was achieved and the economy faltered," said the professor.

Nasim Zehra, a political analyst based in Islamabad, said that now the country could witness come normal politics. "Now, we can expect more normal politics. Politics are inherently competitive, but the ruling-coalition partners are likely to stay together for a while," said Zehra. (ANI)