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AUGUST 18 , 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 32 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK Shielding a Fragile Flame Ex-PM's wife fights to keep him center stage By AYAZ GUL Islamabad Ayear ago, she was never seen sitting in on high-level political meetings. Today, she has the highest profile of any member of the once-ruling Pak-istan Muslim League (PML). By metamorphasizing from housewife to savvy politician, Kulsoom Nawaz is almost single-handedly ensuring that the public does not forget her husband, jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif, even if that means locking horns with the military that ousted him or the leaders of his party. But Kulsoom may have a difficult time keeping him at the center of Pakistan's political picture. During the years that her husband twice became prime minister or led the op-position against arch-rival Benazir Bhutto, Kulsoom avoided getting involved in politics herself. That changed on Oct. 12 when Gen. Pervez Musharraf ousted Sharif in a coup. Now Sharif is serving two life sentences for trying to block the landing of an airliner carrying Musharraf, which triggered the coup, and a variety of other charges, and the country's out-of-work politicians are struggling to regain their footing. While the public euphoria that greeted the fall of Sharif's deeply unpopular government has faded, most Pakistanis remain distrustful of politicians, who they see as corrupt and unable to solve the nation's problems. So most parties have kept their criticism of Musharraf to pro forma demands for elections and are seeking ways of co-existing with his regime. Not Kulsoom, who bluntly calls Musharraf a usurper. Her defiance has gotten the back up not only of the military government but of parts of her own party. "The manner in which Begum Kulsoom is conducting her politics is most harmful for the party and its members," says a senior PML member. "Politics is the art of the possible, and we do not want to make it impossible for ourselves by totally alienating the generals." But Kulsoom is scornful of such tactically refined sentiments. "The party is run by those who are mortally afraid of the [military] brass," she says. "They want to dump Nawaz Sharif and play ball with his tormentors. I tell them that they will get nothing out of it. We have to keep the pressure on to ram our point home." Her all-or-nothing approach is not espoused by Sharif himself. In a letter he sent to the July 30 PML central executive meeting, the jailed leader advocated dialogue with Musharraf "provided there was reciprocity and sincerity." He also allowed PML to join hands with other political parties to work out a common stand vis-a-vis the military government. But his more accommodating stance may be two sides of the same coin. Since his imprisonment, PML rebels have been agitating for a new party leadership vote. Sharif is not strong enough to impose his will, but neither is he willing to fade away. "Her's is the politics of her husband," says Muhammad Wasim, professor of international relations at Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad. "Because Nawaz loyalists in the Muslim League are in a minority, a strong voice was needed. Kulsoom is that voice." But Sharif's and Kulsoom's maneuverings may be moot, given factionalism and disarray not only within the PML but in political parties in general. Last week, 40 parties including the PML and Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party held a conference and jointly demanded an immediate timetable for national elections. But there was little sign of broad public support — instead, about 150 protesters hurled tomatoes and eggs at the cars of politicians as they arrived. The Musharraf government issued a lengthy rebuttal of all the conference's complaints, and is set to go ahead with plans to revamp the political system, first by instituting elected local councils in mid 2001 and moving toward national polls by October 2002. Many South Asian women have in-herited the political mantle of their fallen menfolk and gone on to high positions. Kulsoom may end up only a footnote. "I hate politics," she says. "I will go back to my home when the work is done." She could be going back empty-handed. Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com
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