Democracy Schmemocracy

President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf declared Thursday that he will remove the country’s state of emergency on Dec. 16. He made the proclamation hours after being sworn in for a third term. On Wednesday, he stepped down from his position as head of the military.

On Nov. 3, Musharraf used his emergency decree to purge the Supreme Court, which was about to rule on the constitutionality of him winning October's presidential election by legislators while still holding a military post. A retooled high court, with justices appointed by Musharraf, gave its stamp of approval last week.

Although Musharraf declared a deadline for the emergency rule, he did not mention removing the detention of former judges and advocates of the Supreme Court, or the suspension of several radio stations and television channels.

After Musharaff’s announcement, there was a flurry of opposition from various groups in Pakistan, including the All Pakistan Democratic Movement, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The group leaders said they were going to boycott the upcoming elections because Musharaff had not reinstated democratic norms under the emergency rule. Many said the elections would be fixed by Musharaff.

Lawyers also protested the elections:

Lawyers protesting Mr. Musharraf’s swearing-in clashed with the police in the city of Lahore, and threw bricks, glasses and sticks at the police who blocked their demonstration. Several lawyers and police officers were injured.

However, Musharaff was adamant that nothing would stop the forthcoming elections.

“Elections, God willing, will be held on Jan. 8 according to the Constitution and no one should create any hurdles.”

At the official ceremony to commence his new term as president, Musharraf told an assembly of foreign diplomats to not impose their political views on the country.

“There is an unrealistic or even impractical obsession with your form of democracy, human rights and civil liberties, which you have taken centuries to acquire and which you expect us to adopt in a few years, in a few months,” Mr. Musharraf said, addressing the diplomats.

“We want democracy; I am for democracy,” he said. “We want human rights, we want civil liberties, but we will do it our way, as we understand our society, our environment, better than anyone in the West.”

Musharraf defended his decision to go to a state of emergency, saying he was always going to lead the country toward democracy and stability.

If Musharraf keeps his word to end the state of emergency, he will have addressed the United States’ main concerns.

The White House welcomed Musharraf’s decision to end the state of emergency and to step down as military leader.

"We hope that he follows through on that," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "I think you have to give President Musharraf some credit here, because while he made the decision to establish the emergency order — which we believed was a mistake, and we counseled against — he did take the step" to lift it.

We should give credit to Musharraf for lifting the state of emergency, but let’s not bend over backward. There are judges and lawyers still under house arrest, and the media continues to be heavily restricted. Release your mandates, I say. Until then, let’s not talk about democracy.