Zardari urged to compromise on judges' restoration, end Nawaz's disqualification

NEW YORK - Stating that President Asif Ali Zardari is "dishonoring" Benazir Bhutto's memory by following
Gen. Pervez Musharraf's path, a leading American newspaper Friday urged him to compromise on the dispute
over the restoration of independent judiciary and ending Nawaz Sharif's disqualification in a bid to resolve the political crisis.
In an editorial, the The New York Times welcomed the move by President Barack Obama and his aides aimed
at defusing the crisis.
"They need to press Mr. Zardari now to compromise on the dispute over
Pakistan's courts and to allow Mr. Sharif to run for office. And they
need to press Mr. Sharif to work for peaceful political solutions," said the editorial,
Closer to Cliff.
"If there is any hope for democracy in Pakistan, a robust opposition must
be allowed to flourish and participate fully in the country's political
life," it added.
The New York Times editorial said:
"Pakistan's rival political leaders
seem determined to push their already unstable country over a cliff.
Their increasingly out-of-control power struggle spilled out of the
halls of government and the courtroom this week and onto the streets.
The more time and energy they waste on selfish squabbling, the less
they have to combat extremists who pose a mortal threat to their
country.
"We are especially alarmed to see President Asif Ali Zardari
repeating the excesses of his predecessor, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Six
months after taking office, Mr. Zardari's government has banned Nawaz
Sharif, a former prime minister, and his brother from holding office.
It issued a two-week halt on rallies and threatened to charge Mr.
Sharif with sedition.
"On Wednesday, authorities arrested hundreds of political activists.
A day later, police in riot gear forcibly dispersed some of the
thousands of Pakistanis marching from Karachi to Islamabad in support
of an independent judiciary. That's the kind of repressive behavior that Benazir Bhutto, a former
prime minister, criticized Mr. Musharraf for before she was
assassinated. Mr. Zardari is dishonoring his late wife's memory by
following that same path. Mr. Sharif is all too eager to manipulate this destructive drama
for personal gain. He has taken up the cause of anti-government lawyers
who have long campaigned for the reinstatement of the country's former
top judge who was dismissed by Mr. Musharraf. But we fear his real goal
is to topple Mr. Zardari, whose popularity has plummeted as Mr.
Sharif's has risen.
"There will be no stability in Afghanistan until Pakistan defeats
Taliban and Al Qaeda forces along the border. And there can be no
security in the region, if a nuclear-armed Pakistan is unraveling.
President Obama and his aides are still developing a policy for
Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are pleased to see that they moved quickly
on Thursday to try to defuse the crisis. The American ambassador in
Islamabad spoke with Mr. Sharif, and an envoy, Richard Holbrooke, had a
video conference call with Mr. Zardari.
"They need to press Mr. Zardari now to compromise on the dispute over
Pakistan's courts and to allow Mr. Sharif to run for office. And they
need to press Mr. Sharif to work for peaceful political solutions. If
there is any hope for democracy in Pakistan, a robust opposition must
be allowed to flourish and participate fully in the country's political
life.
"Mr. Obama must also ensure that any new aid to Pakistan strengthens democratic institutions, not just whoever is president. Already,
some Washington analysts are suggesting there might be
worse things than a return to military rule in Pakistan. We've seen
this movie before, and it is not a strategy for long-term stability."