By Jake Hertz
On Saturday the six week state of emergency in Pakistan was lifted. Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf said that the lifting of martial rule was an important step in the country’s move to democracy. However, many see the lifting of the state of emergency as nothing more than a public relations ploy. They point out that the fired judges have not been restored to their jobs and that many parts of Islamabad are still blocked off. The media is also being controlled by the government. Human rights groups have said that the move does nothing more than legalize army abuse. The main leader of the opposition to Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto said she was was pleased with the end of martial rule, but that more needs to be done. The parliamentary elections scheduled for January 8 are considered to be a very important step for the country on its move towards democracy. However, there is fear that Musharraf’s party will rig the elections. Musharraf has vehemently denied this, but the fear remains. While I wish I could believe Musharraf, his track record makes me very skeptical that the elections will truly be fair.
