WASHINGTON, July 26: US congressional leaders from both the ruling and the opposition parties said that judicial activism could bring major political changes in Pakistan, and urged the Bush administration to prepare to work with a government which may or may not have President Pervez Musharraf.
Senators examined the current political situation in Pakistan from every angle, from the forthcoming elections to the return of former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and concluded that these were “particularly dynamic times” for Pakistani politics.
The participation of a whole bunch of powerful senators both from the Democratic and Republican parties — John Kerry, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, Russell d. Feingold, James Webb, Robert Menendez, Johnny Isakson, Benjamin Cardin, Robert P. Casey — underscored the importance the US lawmakers attach to Pakistan.
The subject — Pakistan’s future: Building democracy, or fueling extremism? — assured a lively debate, with some lawmakers blaming Pakistan for almost everything that was wrong with the US-led war against terrorism while others defending Islamabad as “the most indispensable ally.”
Senators Kerry and Lugar observed that the current judicial activism in Pakistan augured well for the judiciary but it may prevent President Musharraf from seeking re-election from the current assemblies and may also force him to abandon his uniform.
