After winning the September 6th elections in Pakistan, President-elect Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the head of Pakistan People´s Party (PPP) says he is determined to form a national unity government. However; looking back at the history of the PPP and Mr. Zardari´s own personal reputation, in addition to the challenges facing his country his claim is difficult to consider credible. Pakistan has gone through thirty years of corruption, lack of respect for the rule of law, military rule, drug trade, and the rise of extremists, in addition to its continuous conflict with India over Kashmir and it the safety of its nuclear weapons.
Dr. Kahlil Ahmad, executive director of the Alternate Solutions Institute and a friend of Atlas, who recently attended Atlas´s TTMBA program hopes the leaders of his country can rise above petty politics and reestablish the rule of law, All this PPP collaborationism will never be able to deter the rule of law movement from establishing the supremacy of the constitution, and securing fundamental rights to the ordinary citizens of Pakistan. The rule of law movement is the soul of Pakistan. It must succeed to make Pakistan succeed! One could only hope that Dr. Ahmad is right.
Mr. Zardari claims he can tackle the challenges facing his country by collaborating with other political leaders. The lack of government control and political will in Islamabad has lead to unrest and at times anarchy, in the Northwest Frontier and other tribal areas. The lack of stability in Pakistan has had a dire impact on the internal security and stability of its neighbor Afghanistan, where thousands of NATO troops are stationed. Considering the internal condition of Pakistan, Mr. Zardari and the government of Pakistan face a difficult and destabilizing situation ahead.
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