Author: Phil Reeves in Islamabad
Publication: The Independent, UK
Date: November 13, 2002
URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=351643
The Islamic cleric Fazl-ur Rahman
is sitting cross-legged on a bed happily outlining his agenda as the aspiring
Prime Minister of Pakistan, one of the world's geo- political hotspots
and a focal point in the American-led war against al-Qa'ida.
The mullah is undeterred by the
fact that the White House, Pentagon, FBI, CIA and the State Department
heartily wish that he, and the religious bloc he leads, would go away.
Nor is he bothered by the discomfort
he is inflicting on the President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf,
and the intelligence services, in their efforts to build a compliant civilian
government after botching the rigging of last month's elections.
Mr Rahman made clear to The Independent
that he believes the outside world is wrong to label him as a pro- Taliban
hardliner.
He says he believes the Americans
have failed to link the 11 September atrocities with the Taliban, Osama
bin Laden or al-Qa'ida. His coalition is demanding the Americans leave
Pakistan. But he describes himself and his colleagues as "politicians,
democrats, moderates, and balanced people" who - like many Pakistanis -
have "serious and honest differences" with the war on terror.
"We think US policies and measures
are not eradicating terrorism, but creating more - for instance, by their
aggression in Afghanistan," he said.
More than a month has elapsed since
a wave of anti- Americanism fused with popular disenchantment towards mainstream
parties to deliver an unprecedented electoral success for Mr Rahman and
his alliance. The results left General Musharraf in a fix.
The religious parties stunned everyone
by coming third, and winning in a province bordering Afghanistan. The General
Musharraf-backed PML-Q won the most seats, followed by Benazir Bhutto's
Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
With no party gaining an outright
majority, the mullahs potentially hold the balance of power. They and Ms
Bhutto are central players in the horse-trading gripping Pakistan.
Mr Rahman is playing for high stakes.
He has set the price for his support as the Prime Minister's job, but will
clearly settle for less.
Even so, the prospect of a strong
Islamist bloc within government is shredding nerves.
The Pakistani military government
appears to believe that it can live with the clerics. But the Americans,
who exert strong influence on Pakistan, are not happy.
The "hardliner" label does not suit
Mr Rahman, as it fails to take into account his pragmatic record. The 49-year-
old son of a former provincial chief minister, he is an old- timer on Pakistan's
political scene. The same cannot be said of some of his more radical fellow
mullahs in the six-party religious alliance - the Mutahidda Majlis-e- Amal
(MMA).
The MMA campaigned on an anti-American
platform, portraying the contest as an Islamist battle against the West.
The mullahs' new-found influence
has complicated General Musharraf's difficult task of supporting Washington's
drive to track down al-Qa'ida.
This policy will be under particular
strain tomorrow when a 38-year-old Pakistani, Aimal Kansi, is due to be
executed in Virginia for shooting dead two CIA employees in 1993. Pakistan,
which is pressing for clemency, has tightened security around potential
Western targets, fearing retaliation.
Yesterday hundreds from Jamiat-e-Islami
party - part of Mr Rahman's bloc - marched through Multan in central Pakistan
and threatened to act if the execution went ahead.
There are no easy solutions for
Pakistan's military rulers. They can try to strong-arm people into the
government- backed PML-Q to secure a straight majority. They can allow
an alliance with Ms Bhutto's PPP. Or they can give the mullahs a slice
of power.
The last option is particularly
worrying to Pakistan's liberal intelligentsia, especially women. They fear
a trade-off in which concessions will be made to the clerics' social demands
in return for compromises on the job of Prime Minister.
Asked about this, Mr Rahman said
his bloc would follow the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology,
a neglected constitutional body. They include firing employees who fail
to pray five times a day, mandatory veils for women and a ban on music
and un-Islamic posters on public transport.
