Zardari proposes Pak truth commission

President Asif Ali Zardari is seeking to establish a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation commission to help heal the wounds suffered during Pakistans deeply divided political history, much of it under military rule. Mr Zardari has proposed that Asma Jehangir, Pakistans most respected human rights lawyer, chair the commission, taking a role similar to that of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa. Any move to open up Pakistans past is likely to touch a raw nerve with the powerful security establishment, which has been associated with undermining elected politicians and fostering militant organisations. A truth and reconciliation commission encouraging people to confess to past political crimes and disappearances would be interpreted as an attempt by Mr Zardari to exert authority over the armed forces. The truth and reconciliation commission is important for us, said Mr Zardari, adding that he would request Yusuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, to establish the commission. A senior Pakistani government official said on Tuesday: There is active work going on to establish the commission. The idea is in a mature stage. During the 1980s, when Pakistan was ruled by General Zia ul-Haq, the late dictator, scores of political activists from Mr Zardaris Pakistan Peoples party were arrested and sent to torture chambers. The PPP has been in the front line of calls for a truth and reconciliation commission. Mr Zardari has personal motivation to launch inquiries into past injustices. He spent years in jail facing corruption charges, but was never convicted. The assassins of his wife Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, are still unidentified and at large. The danger is that this initiative could open old wounds and renew controversies. The net result may strain relations between the military and civilian politicians, said one diplomat. Ms Jehangir told the Financial Times on Tuesday she had not been formally asked to head the commission, although she clearly outlined her own vision. Much depends on how empowered this institution will be and the extent to which it ends political catharsis in the country. The people of Pakistan must begin to see the true picture of what happened in the past, she said. There are many parts of our history which remain hidden. Ghazi Salahuddin, a newspaper commentator, questioned whether Pakistans political leadership had the moral authority to launch a public inquiry into past misdeeds: In South Africa, we had Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. In Pakistan, there is no comparable towering figure with the right kind of moral authority. Additional complications include the role of foreign powers, notably the US and Saudi Arabia, in supporting military rulers. (FT)