The Pakistan Supreme Court’s ruling validating President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election does not come as a surprise. The court was packed with pro-Musharraf judges. Early this month, President Musharraf imposed emergency rule in Pakistan fearing an adverse judgement by the apex court hearing challenges to his re-election. He then sacked several independent-minded judges and replaced them with loyalists. A ruling in his favour was therefore to be expected. The farce being enacted in Pakistan by President Musharraf and those backing him now moves to the next stage. The general had promised to give up his post of chief of army staff on the condition that he was re-elected as President. He won the Presidential poll in October by a huge majority after most of the Opposition boycotted or abstained in the national and provincial assemblies that choose the President. But since there were challenges in court to the election, the Election Commission had to suspend announcing the result. The Supreme Court’s ruling will now clear the way for the EC to declare him the winner. And this should pave the way for Musharraf to step down as army chief.

The question is whether Musharraf will honour his promise to step down as army chief. His past record on the matter provides little hope that he will. He had made several promises to step down as army chief but every one of these deadlines went by with the promise unfulfilled. Analysts are saying that this time President Musharraf will hang up his uniform as he needs to offer something to the Western powers that have been pressuring him to end emergency rule. Besides, Musharraf’s successor as army chief, General Ashfaq Kiani, is pro-west and the Americans are not averse to having him as Pakistan’s new army chief. But Musharraf might still slip out from keeping his promise yet again. 

If Musharraf continues to cling to the post of army chief, the crisis in Pakistan will deepen. However, his stepping down alone will not end the crisis either as this is a step that is too little, too late. He will have to follow this up with lifting emergency rule, allowing political parties to function on a level playing field and holding elections that are truly free and fair. His stepping down as army chief is the critical minimum step he needs to take.