General Pervez Musharraf: saviour or destroyer of Pakistan's democracy?

Description/Abstract

A dominant theme of General Pervez Musharraf's tenure as Pakistan's ruler has been the need for good governance. This is to be achieved both by the process of accountability and the introduction of structural administrative reforms, which will replace the 'sham' parliamentary democracy of the past decade with a grass roots 'real' democracy. This article sets out to examine these claims in terms of current political developments in Pakistan, as well as within the context of earlier military interventions. The focus is not on Musharraf or his political opponents as individuals, but on the institutions and environment that shape Pakistan's quest for democratic stability.