The commonwealth team that visited Pakistan at the end of October to make an on-the-spot assessment of the official, political and public opinion in the country, will have found that the military takeover of 12 October was greeted largely with relief. Sent by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in order to take a decision on whether to suspend Pakistan's Commonwealth membership, the team was unable to obtain any time-frame for the restoration of an elected civilian government. However, they did obtain a firm commitment that the new chief executive will achieve certain benchmarks of progress on "the desired objectives", which include building institutions and carrying out reforms that can promote "true democracy" in Pakistan.
It is this expressed desire, if implemented, that will soften the unconstitutionality of Gen Pervez Musharraf's position, especially in the eyes of the world. An endorsement has already been received, as expected from the oil-rich Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, usually the first stop of any new Pakistani ruler, civil or military; Gen Musharraf has proved no exception. The support from the Gulf is sought not only for financial reasons, but also because Saudi Arabia is considered to be the custodian of Islam, and its approval confers an additional legitimacy to a new set-up.
Musharraf has termed his takeover as "not a coup but a counter-coup", a reference to Nawaz Sharif's attempt to have the army chief removed, first through elements within the army (whom Musharraf promptly forced into retirement on learning of it), and then by abruptly dismissing him while he was on an official visit to Sri Lanka.
Over in Washington DC, the Clinton administration was caught on the wrong foot by this 'counter-coup', since it had practically backed Musharraf's removal, and his replacement as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by a Sharif clansman, Gen Khawaja Ziaduddin Butt. Sharif had appointed Butt as head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on the same day Musharraf was appointed COAS last October, and without consulting the latter. Indeed, Musharraf's appointment may well have been a stop-gap arrangement as far as Sharif was concerned, before replacing him with Butt.