SIGNIFICANCE AND WEAKNESSES OF EXPRESIDENT PERVEZ MUSHRRAFS REGIME

Assignment of Local Government

Under the Supervision of

Sir Shahid Zaheer
Department of Public Administration
University of Karachi
Fall semester 2014

INTRODUCTION

General Pervez Musharraf, the second of three brothers, was born in Delhi on August 11,
1943. His parents chose to settle in Karachi after the creation of Pakistan. He comes from a
middle class family, his father having worked for the foreign ministry. He spent his early
years in Turkey, from 1949 to 1956, owing to his father, the late Syed Musharraf-ud-dins
deputation in Ankara.
On return to Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf received his education from Saint Patricks
High School, Karachi, and then from F. C. College, Lahore. In 1961, he joined the Pakistan
Military Academy and was commissioned in Artillery Regiment in 1964. He fought in the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 as a young officer, and was awarded Imtiazi Sanad for gallantry.
He also achieved the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) and the Tamgha-i-Basalat. He has been also
on the faculty of the Command and Staff College, Quetta and the war wing of (the) National
Defence College. He volunteered to be a commando, and remained in the Special Services
Group for seven years. He also participated in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 as a Company
Commander in the Commando Battalion.1
He had fought two battles for Pakistan as a first lieutenant and as a Chief of army staff. Musharraf
had been nominated for the military secretary of General Zia when General Zia ousted the Elected
Government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. But his senior Lieutenant General took over his position. On
October 7, 1998 Musharraf was appointed as a Chief of Army Staff by the prime minister of Pakistan
Nawaz Sharif. On April 9, 1999 he was given additional charge of Chairman Joint Chief of Staff
Committee.
In Kargil war, Pakistan was very near to won the battle, and it was the golden opportunity for
Pakistan to resolve the conflict of Kashmir but the then Prime Minister Mr. Nawaz Sharif
ordered Musharraf to cease fire. India then claims that they have won the Kargil war because Pak Army
has surrendered in front of them. Being an Army Chief it was a very terrible situation for Musharraf.

MILITARY REGIME IN PAKISTAN

The military has played an integral role in Pakistan's governance since that country's
inception. It has dominated the political process at various times by imposing martial law,
playing an active role in policy making, civilianizing martial law regimes and penetrating

Story of Pakistan: A Multimedia Journey;

http://storyofpakistan.com/general-pervez-musharraf/#sthash.7SNPJSjq.dpuf

civilian economic and social institutions.2Military interventions in politics are very common
both in democratic or totalitarian regimes. Military has been defined as a state within a
state in Pakistan due to is dismemberment from civil society.

PERVAIZ MUSHARRAFS ERA

Pervez Musharraf assumed the Office of the Chief Executive in October, 1999 and took the
charge of the country. The Situation on 12th October 1999, when Mr. Musharraf took over
was that Pakistan faced:

Economic bankruptcy.

International isolation.

The Country was referred to as a failed state.

Political instability and political history of previous governments. Opposition never

allowed an elected government to complete term and derailed the process /
institutions.3

PERVAIZ MUSHARRAF AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

Decentralization of power has been the focus of the military regimes in the name of ensuring
real democracy and empowering grassroots communities which resulted in series of local
governance systems, named from local bodies to local governments. Each of the countrys
military dictators, General Ayub Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf,
were the architects of Local Government System (LGS).
In 1999, General Pervez Musharraf through National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB)
introduced Devolution of Power Plan 2000 under federally circulated Local Government
Ordinance (LGO) 2001 which was re-enacted provincially. It has three tiers i.e. Union, Tehsil
and Zila Council. Local Government was the channel to validate the Presidential tenure
through referendum in April 2002. This system, as oppose to the earlier, placed civil
bureaucracy and administrative structures under the elected representative, i.e. Nazim.

From Abstract, Farooq, Sadaf, Rule By The Generals : The Influence Of Military Regimes On Pakistan's
Internal Security http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.553055#sthash.y1OMHSUi.dpuf
3
https://ourleadermusharraf.wordpress.com/category/musharraf-era/

Musharraf launched a campaign for political devolution in 2000 that it said was aimed at
transferring administrative and financial power to local governments. The scheme was to
strengthen local control and accountability and, according to President Pervez Musharraf,
"empower the impoverished". Under the Devolution of Power Plan announced in August
2000, local governments were to be elected on a non-party basis in phased voting between
December 2000 and July 2001.4
The situation pre 2000 did not recognize women as an equal or necessary stakeholder in the
process. The Devolution Plan 2000 redesigned the political landscape of Pakistan especially
at the grass root level through a reformatory policy intervention under Local Government
Order (LGO). The Local Government Ordinance (LGO) 2000 provided 33% quota for
women at the District, Tehsil and Union councils, thus, creating a critical mass of women
councilors in Pakistan, which in itself remains a first-time event in the political evolution of
the country. This opened up not only an enormous political space but a strategic opportunity
for women to make a difference in setting and implementing the agenda of local
governments. With the devolution process, this level of government was expected to have the
most impact on peoples lives and offered the greatest hope for social change.
LGO 2001 was designed to ensure genuine people participation in bottom up developmental
planning, improved service delivery mechanisms and promises checks and balances to
safeguard against abuse of authority. It also provided an opportunity to make the political
scene in Pakistan more broad based, participatory and improve upon the colonial rule
experiences. Citizen Community Board (CCB) led social mobilization remained to be its
developmental flag. LG had a four-year term, 23 members in every Union Council, which
subsequently formed Tehsil and District councils.
The biggest contribution of Local Government System, and its support programs, is advocacy
and awareness about the communal rights and their access through political means. It
provided an opportunity to have the marginalized groups to have their own voice despite the
fact that it remained weak but communities do relate to it as a system that recognized
them.5

4
5

http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=21991
http://www.theresearchers.org/CitizenEmpwrmnt.html

The model of local government originally crafted by the National Bureau of Reconstruction
during Musharraf era was probably the boldest initiative that conformed to the system
envisioned in the constitution. It enhanced the powers of the elected officials of the local
government and abolished the office of District Magistrate and Divisional Commissioners.
This step also finally fulfilled the constitutional requirement under article 175(3) for
separation of judiciary from executive at the district level.6

SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSHARRAFS REGIME

The main achievements of this regime were:

Empowerment of people through devolution at grass roots level.

Empowerment of Women at all tiers of government / legislature.

Legislation against honor killings.

Women Protection Bill.

Empowerment of minorities through joint electorate as well as reserved seats.

Empowerment of younger generation by reducing voter age from 21 to 18 years.

Empowerment of media by allowing total freedom to press and print media and flow
of information.

Empowerment of economy through wide ranging economic reforms.

Record allocations for science and technology, education and health sectors.
Emphasis on human resource development.

Free, Fair, Transparent and Peaceful Elections7

Gwadar project that made stronger ties with china and made Pakistan stronger was
developed during his tie along with roads in Islamabad.

Seven points were given by Musharraf that made the financial condition of Pakistan
economy very well.

There had been several other reforms and developments in Musharrafs era. The list of the
Musharrafs reforms is given below.
EDUCATION SECTOR

6
7

Nine world class engineering universities were developed. The cost of building these

http://defence.pk/threads/local-government-system-news-and-updates.268316/
http://presidentmusharraf.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/achievements-of-pervez-musharraf-his-government/

Universities were over Rs 96.5 billion. In 1999-2000 there were 31 Public

Universities.

In 2005-2006 there were 49 Public Universities. Air University (established 2002);

Institute of Space Technology, IST (established 2002); University of Science &
Technology, Bannu (established 2005); University of Hazara (founded 2002);
University of Gujrat (established 2004); Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore
(established 2002); etc.

Literacy rate in Pakistan had increased from 45% (in 2002) to 53% (in 2005).

Education was received 4% of GDP and English had been introduced as a compulsory
subject from grade 1. In total, 99,319 educational institutions increased in Musharrafs
era.

There were more than 5,000 Pakistanis doing PhDs in foreign countries on
scholarship in Musharrafs era. 300 Pakistanis receive PhD degrees every year, in
1999, the number was just 20.8

HEALTH

There had been an increase of about 20,000 registered doctors, around 3,000
registered dentists, about 15,000 nurses, and 56,000 lady health workers. The
quantity, quality and distribution of this workforce were being improved.

Many new initiatives in the health sector were undertaken during this period,
including the Expanded Program of Immunization; Polio Eradication Program;
Hepatitis Control Program; Primary Health Care Program, TB Prevention & Control
Program; Aids Prevention & Control Program; Blindness Prevention & Control
Program; National Maternal and Child Health Program; and National Nutrition
Program.

I.T. REVOLUTION

Internet connectivity increased from 40 cities to 2000 towns of Pakistan.

Fiber optics connectivity increased from 30 cities to over 1500 towns of Pakistan.

2 megabytes band width cost reduced from $86,000 to $3,000.

http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=21991

RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT

Dual railway line project from Peshawar to Karachi launched.

Over 50 locomotives, innumerable cargo bogies included in the railway fleet.

The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector of Pakistan had attracted over Rs 70
billion investments during the five years (2001-2006) as a result of liberal and
encouraging policies of the government.

1,765 CNG stations were operating in the country, in 85 cities and towns. It provided
employment for 30,000 people in the country.

AGRICULTURE SECTOR

Increased wheat production from 14 million tons to 22 million tons.

Increased cotton production from 9 million bales to 13 million bales.

Introduced rotational loan system through banks for poor farmers.

Increased loan facility for farmers from Rs 35 billion through ZTBL only, to Rs 160
billion from all other private banks.9

PORTS AND DAMS

Gwadar, an advanced sea port, was developed.

Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) completed.

Ghandara International Airport (Islamabad) the first-ever green-field airport was built.

Work on six projects including raising of Mangla Dam and Lyari Expressway and
first unit of 4 MW of Satpara Dam, was nearing completion.

POVERTY

According to the Economic Survey 2005, poverty in Pakistan in 2001 was 34.46%.
And after 7-8 years of Musharraf, poverty in 2005 was 23.9%.

LIBERIZATION

Media has given independence through liberalization and privatization.

http://salaremillat.wordpress.com/category/pervaiz-musharraf-golden-era/

WEAKNESSES AND CRITISMS OF MUSHARRAFS REGIME

Trade liberalization progressed under Musharraf, but import bans and restrictions,
import taxes, inconsistent standards administration, non-transparent government
procurement, export subsidies weak enforcement of intellectual property rights and
corruption add considerably to the cost of trade.

Unfortunately, in the other areas of economic freedom, Pakistan suffered significant

reversals during the Musharraf years. Major declines occurred in investment freedom,
financial freedom property rights and freedom from corruption during this period.

The regime also failed to put in place a strategy that takes care of the supply
bottlenecks that would inevitably result from a sharp increase in GDP. In particular
the government failed to plan to meet the supply-demand gap in the energy sector for
both electricity and gas.

Electricity shortages caused many firms to maintain shorter hours with distinct losses
in output. There was mounting concern that the power shortage would affect the
productive capacity and export performance of the country.

The tax base remains narrow and rather inflexible. The Musharraf government failed
to realize that major fiscal reforms were needed to prevent growth from widening
income inequalities and failing to pull large segments of the population out of poverty
because only around 2% of the population pays direct income taxes with the bulk of
the tax burden falling on the poor, the salaried class and the business sector; as well as
Tax evasion is widespread and there was a mismatch between sectoral contributions
to growth and tax revenue.

Another area where the Musharraf administration failed to make any progress at
reform was the countrys spreading military industrial complex.

The country became vulnerable to reductions in external capital flows. The

vulnerability of the economy to external flows is revealed by the data on investments
and the sources for financing it. During the Musharraf period, efforts to increase
private investment achieved some success with the rate of investment increasing by

about a third -- from 13.9 per cent of GDP in 2001-02 to 18.0 per cent in 2006-07.
This suggests that the economy, contrary to government statement is becoming
increasingly dependent on foreign capital.10

In 2007, the students of this place attacked the business area accusing them of being
non Islamic and so government send the officers to arrest the leaders but the students
started to guard their place which led to a fight between the army and the people of lal
masjid and a siege was held and many died during that fight till one leader died and
other arrested and only then Musharraf lifted the siege. This had become a weakness
for Musharraf.

Bomb blasts in Pakistan started in his time due to the Talibans and the biggest one
was the attack on Marriot in the capital of Pakistan which alerted everyone of the bad
state and people became e sacred and disappointed in Musharraf.

He gave Framework order 2002 by which the opponents refused to accept this as it
allowed sacking of PM, dissolving parliament and recognizing Musharraf as both
head of state and army and they thought it was illegal. So he became president till
2007 and agreed to give some powers that he had during coup and stop acting as
military head.

The Balochistan problem rose in which Bugti rebels started their doings in 2004 and
this led to a rebel state. In 2006 bugti saying no to every form of reconciliation went
to cave near kohlu and when the forces tried to negotiate he blew up the cave causing
him to die which made Musharraf a murderer in balochis eyes.

As anticipated there was a major decline in voice and accountability with Pakistan
falling from a percentile rank of 27.4 in 1998 to 12.5 in 2006. Political stability
already in the bottom 10 percent declined even further ending up at 4.80 in 2006. On
the other hand the government was able to forge significant gains in government

10

The Musharraf Paradox: The Failure of an Economic Success Story, Robert Looney, Postgraduate School,

Monterey, California, USA http://faculty.nps.edu/relooney/Rel-TOSJ-08.pdf

effectiveness and regulatory quality, with smaller improvements in the rule of law.
Unfortunately this progress was neutralized somewhat by increased corruption.

CONCLUSION
Pervaiz Musharraf has been one of the greatest leaders Pakistan has had since the founding
fathers of Pakistan. His message of peace, stability, equality and human rights elevated
Pakistan to a well-recognized and respected state.11 The Musharrafs regime tried to tackle
crisis in Pakistans economy in a disciplined and systematic manner. His regime faced a
serious challenge in reconstructing Pakistans fragile political system 12. Like military rulers
before him, Musharraf too declared to eliminate corruption, revive the economy, depoliticize
state institutions, and establish the foundations of genuine democracy at the grassroots level.
Many criticisms were also faced in this era. Musharrafs support for U.S, Lal Masjid
operation, resolution of judiciary and the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) issues were few major
happenings and concerns which badly affected Pervez Musharrafs image and lessened his
number of supporters.
Apart all the ups and downs in the political era of Pervez Musharraf, the economic
development and growth of many sectors had been observed clearly.

11

https://www.rabwah.net/a-man-of-pakistan-pervez-musharraf/
http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=FNnaIBd8jk0C&pg=PA271&lpg=PA271&dq=musharraf+regime+conc
lusion&source=bl&ots=AicAMvwvdN&sig=-biVUyuwTKSTvp01lrUjGHKAJE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sRJmVNSGNqrygPbz4CAAQ&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=musharraf%20regime%20conclusion&f=false
12