Aziz was a banker in the United States before being Pakistan 's Financial Minister

By Asif Farooqi, IOL Correspondent

ISLAMABAD , July 4 (IslamOnline.net) – By appointing a technocrat he trusts, with close relations to Washington , as Prime Minister – once he gains a seat in the National Assembly in less than three months – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf proved, time and again, he was adamant on imposing his own version of democracy on the Asian, Muslim state.

Shujaat Hussein, head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party, has succeeded Zafarullah Jamali who tendered his resignation Saturday, June 26, and nominated Shujaat as his successor.

Musharraf, however, appointed Shaukat Aziz, the Finance Minister to hold the post after being elected to the National Assembly.

Under Pakistan ’s constitution, the Prime Minister is elected amongst the members of the National Assembly whereas Aziz is in the Senate, the upper house of the two tier parliament.

This is the reason when Jamali resigned Saturday June 26, he nominated ruling party head Shujaat Hussein to be his successor. But later Shujjat announced he would be Prime Minister only for such time that Aziz is elected to the National Assembly to ultimately take up the top job.

"Shaukat Aziz has been appointed because he's loyal to General Musharraf and shares his political perspective," said Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based political analyst.

"This appointment shows that access to power and influence is only through the support of the Presidency which is controlled by Musharraf."

According to Rizvi, Aziz - unlike Jamali or Shujaat for that matter - is not a politician and was introduced to Pakistanis by General Musharraf himself when he was asked to quit his career as a banker in the US and to join Musharraf’s team as Finance Minister in 1999.

“He owes it all to the General” Rizvi said. Whereas, he added, Jamali and Shujaat both enjoy longstanding political careers in the country.

Analysts believe that by launching a technocrat and a trusted colleague like Aziz as the next Prime Minister of the country, President General Musharraf has shown his mistrust as well as disrespect to politicians.

Aziz, Finance Minister since Musharraf took over the country in 1999, is a former banker and is considered the most trusted aide to the President.

Why Jamali Quit?

Shujaat says he has no intention of sticking to the top job

While announcing his resignation at a party meeting, Jamali gave no reason for his leaving the office. Instead he blamed himself for not being “able to meet the aspirations of the party workers."

But sources close to the outgoing PM told Islamonline.net that Jamali resigned under growing pressure from the President who desperately wanted his close confidant to be Prime Minister when he sheds his military uniform in December this year as agreed with powerful Islamic political parties.

“The way Jamali has been forced to resign shows that not only that the General has no respect for politicians but also that the democracy is far from being strong and deep rooted in the country,” says Dr. Muhammad Ahmar, an Islamabad based political analyst.

Sources close to the Prime Minister said he had developed differences or ‘misunderstandings’ with the President on at least two issues.

One is the formation of the Pakistani National Security Council and the other is the changes in the Hudud (Islamic legal punishment code) Laws.

Musharraf wanted a dominant role for the National Security Council which is headed by the General himself whereas Jamali toned down the Council by making changes in the bill while tabling it to Parliament.

Moreover, while President Musharraf wanted basic changes in the Hudud laws as demanded by the so-called liberal elements of the society, the government did not introduce the bill in the parliament despite repeated urges by the Presidential authority.

Sources said this political position taken by Premier Jamali came as a surprise for Musharraf, who was expecting an ‘obedient’ colleague in the Premier Jamali.

Analysts believed as the deadline for Musharraf to shed his military uniform was approaching closer, he was becoming increasingly impatient with his political ambitions.

“Musharraf has to be working closely with a close confidant as the Premier and not as a person like Jamali or Shujaat who have political ambition of their own,” said Dr. Muhammad Ahmar.

Pakistani local media has also been critical of the "Aziz" move.

"By deliberately weakening and distorting democratic structures... we disregard law and order," read the editorial of daily Dawn a week ago, the leading English-language paper.

The strong right-wing parties have also decried the nomination of Aziz as future Prime Minister. Qazi Hussien Ahmad, leader of MMA, alliance of religious parties, said they would never accept Aziz as the country’s leader.

“Aziz is just a puppet” Qazi said while adding that his connections in the American establishment "have earned him this job."

Qazi said his MMA would rather support Shujaat if he decides to take the Premiership on a permanent basis.

But Shujaat says he has no intention of sticking to the job beyond the timeframe needed for Aziz to join the National Assembly.

Jamali resigned under reportedly growing pressure from Musharraf

Arshad Arif, research head at KASB Securities, said the appointment of a technocrat with little experience in politics appears unlikely to work in the long-term, as it provides fresh impetus to the opposition, who already are campaigning for Musharraf to retire from the army by the end of the year if he wants to remain president.

"The appointment also shows gradual decay in the democratic institutions and political parties," Arif said.

However, Aziz's proposed appointment was well received by the local business community and the financial market.

Aziz served two terms as Finance Minister, first under Musharraf between 1999 and 2002, and then under Jamali. He is credited with salvaging a near-bankrupt economy after international sanctions were imposed in 1998 in reaction to the testing of nuclear missiles.

The Karachi Stock Exchange benchmark 100-share index rose 3.4% Monday, June 28, rallying both on Aziz's appointment and progress in peace talks with India .

The Pakistani military has intervened four times since Pakistan gained independence from the UK in 1947, the last time being Musharraf's coup in 1999 which ousted elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Shujaat took oath of office in Islamabad Wednesday, June 30, at the President House along with a 27 member cabinet.

Musharraf himself administered the oath to new temporary Prime Minister.

Aziz also took oath as a federal minister.