India won't condemn General yet

NEW DELHI: Amid strong calls from the US and other countries urging Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to lift Emergency, India maintained its neutral tone on the matter and hoped that the process of democratisation begins in Pakistan. “We are watching the situation,” external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said on the sidelines of the India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference on Tuesday.

He added: “We do hope the process of democratisation in Pakistan begins and people of Pakistan will get an opportunity to have their government as per their constitution.” The minister further said that New Delhi wanted “peace, prosperity and stability” in Pakistan.

New Delhi is unlikely to change its stance on the developments in Pakistan. After Mr Musharraf imposed Emergency on Saturday, the government here said it regretted the imposition of Emergency in Pakistan and hoped that normalcy will soon return to allow transition to democracy. India’s stand on the developments in Pakistan is unlikely to change at this point. The assessment is that India has to do business with whoever is in power, and comparatively, India-Pakistan bilateral ties have been the best during the Musharraf regime.

New Delhi’s stance contrasts with the tough rhetoric from Washington. US president George W Bush demanded that Mr Musharraf give up his military responsibilities, lift Emergency and release opposition leaders and human rights activists who have been detained since Emergency started on Saturday. Britain also strongly urged Mr Musharraf to restore democratic and constitutional processes.

Nevertheless, the US rhetoric is not likely to be backed up by any action or sanctions against Islamabad. Faced with international pressure, Mr Musharraf met with the diplomatic corps, including the Indian envoy. According to reports, he said he will shed his uniform to become a civilian President.

Analysts say that New Delhi’s guarded comments also come from the uncertainty prevailing on the ground and on whether Mr Musharraf is able to contain the jehadi forces. The utmost fear is that Mr Musharraf will be unable to contain the jehadi elements, which could spill over across the border into India.

Political analysts also say that New Delhi has always put stability in the region over principles of democracy. “India has always been cautious in promoting democracy. We prefer stability first and then democracy,” said an expert on South Asian affairs SD Muni who added that the same situation holds true for Myanmar as well. “My assessment is that ground situation is not there for full democracy,” he added.