Pakistani expatriates in the UAE want President Pervez Musharraf to resign and bring his country out of the present political crisis, especially after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
They also demanded that a new caretaker government be set up after national consensus, as they are sceptical of free and fair elections with Musharraf at the top of the political ladder.
Weekend Review spoke to Pakistani expatriates about the present political and security situation in Pakistan and what should be done to help the situation.
Most of them feared the disintegration of the country’s federation if Bhutto’s murder was not investigated, and free and fair elections not held.
Riaz Farooq, president of the Pakistan Association in Dubai who is also a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami, a strong religious party in Pakistan, said Musharraf should resign to save the country.
“A new caretaker government should be formed with national consensus to hold elections.
"Judges who were asked to retire after the emergency was declared should be reinstated and a new election commission should be formed,” he said.
Farooq said the international community should not intervene in the internal affairs of Pakistan because it would aggravate the situation.
“We also do not require any intervention from the US because our country is fully capable of protecting our nuclear resources,” he added.
Irfan Akram, a businessman in Ajman, said fair elections cannot be held under the present government setup because it supports one particular political group.
“The solution to the crisis is that President Musharraf should step down,” he said.
He also opposed intervention of the international community in the internal affairs of Pakistan.
He was, however, quick to add that Pakistan needed to maintain good relations with the US because no government could survive without the superpower’s support.
Kaiser Ghuman from Sharjah, a supporter of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said Musharraf should have resigned immediately after Bhutto’s assassination because he had failed to protect the lives and property of the people.
He supported the intervention of the international community to help Pakistan come out of the present crisis.
“Our relations with the US are also necessary because both countries need each other in their fight against terrorism,” he said.
Sardar Javed Yaqoob from Dubai, a PPP supporter, said that Musharraf should immediately quit and be tried by an independent judiciary.
“His presence at the top is causing damage to the federation of the country and presenting hurdles in forming the democratic setup,” he said.
He also called for forming an independent caretaker government to hold free and fair elections.
Noorul Hassan Tanveer, chief coordinator of PML-N for the Middle East, said President Musharraf should have quit a long time ago.
“There is still time for him to leave office and earn some respect,” he said.
He said that he does not expect fair and free elections to be held under the present setup, especially with President Musharraf sitting at the top and supporting a particular political group.
“The judicial system should be restored, restrictions on the media should be lifted and a new caretaker government with representatives from all political parties should be formed to hold the elections,” he said.
