Beena Sarwar on Musharraf's Exit

Beena Sarwar writes: "In resigning today, Musharraf avoided the impeachment that loomed over his head (another first) which would have carried confrontation further. As I left on August 12 for Jakarta to participate in a forum on Islam and Democracy in South Asia, someone remarked that I would be returning in five days to a transformed Pakistan. Not likely, I replied. Even if Musharraf went during this time, there would be no dramatic change. Inflation would continue to break the people's backs, violence in the name of religion would continue to take lives, unprincipled forces would continue to try and sabotage the democratically elected government, hidden hands would continue to needle India and Afghanistan, and the lawyers would continue to agitate for restoring the judiciary that Musharraf had axed during his imposition of emergency on November 3 last year that the ruling coalition is dragging its feet over. "

The pity is these unprincipled forces are very high in the (unelected) hierarchy of the "democratically elected government."