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| India-Pakistan |
| Referendum's looking good for Perv |
| 2002-04-28 |
| Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is set for a comfortable victory in a referendum on Tuesday to extend his rule for five years, but in the process he has damaged his credibility both at home and abroad. Not if he gets voted in... Since he launched his campaign with a huge rally in Lahore three weeks ago, critics say Musharraf has looked less like a general sincerely determined to reform Pakistan, and more like a politician using all the tricks in the book to stay in power. Buses have been commandeered to take people to his rallies, government offices emptied, civil servants and teachers ordered to attend. That's because if he doesn't win, he's political road kill. Quick, now. Think of another choice he has... In Pakistan's cities, street lights and banners have been decorated with Musharraf's smiling face and messages imploring a "yes" vote, while state television has been dominated by the general's campaign and his angry denunciations of his opponents. That's pretty standard for somebody who wants to win an election, isn't it? What's the beef? Being in charge of a government isn't the same thing as being a general. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |