Just like there are two sides of the coin or many versions of an event, the much-hyped last week’s long march by lawyers to push the Pakistan People’s Party government to remove Pervez Musharraf from the Presidency and reinstate the senior judges sacked by him has attracted varied responses, as to its failure and success. If taken on face value, the lawyers termed the convergence on Islamabad as an unprecedented event in the history of the capital that brought resounding success to their cause. On the other hand, the Musharraf loyalists saw it as a great failure, while the PPP government tried to remain neutral neither labeling it as a success nor calling it a failure.
While most observers and analysts believe that the long march was aimed at showing strength to the PPP-led coalition government, Asif Ali Zardari hit back by belittling the rally saying it was a `mela’ or a `circus.’ It appears that Zardari is fighting war at two fronts. At the one hand he is trying to negotiate an exit for Musharraf, on the other hand he is trying to counter the movement by lawyers backed by Nawaz Sharif. He threw an open challenge to Musharraf by saying that very soon the PPP-nominated president will be sitting in the Presidency and the corridors of the Presidency will echo with slogans of the PPP. It may not be a very wise move to open two fronts at one time but then analysts say Zardari doesn’t have the political acumen and wisdom of Benazir Bhutto to make calculated moves.
SUCCESS: The fact that tens of thousands of people including lawyers, activists of political parties, civil society members and students traveled hundreds of miles in extreme heat and humidity and converged on Islamabad in the form of a caravan, marked the success of the event. Unrestricted and unhindered by the PPP government in Sindh and the PML-N government in Punjab, the massive crowd rallied a few hundred yards from the president’s office demanding his dismissal and execution on charges of subverting the Constitution. Many lawyers, who spoke with Pulse at the parade venue said they were so charged and motivated that they were prepared to stage a sit in for many days to come and were ready to break the barbed wire and container barriers and raid the Supreme Court building to install the deposed judges back in their offices. Many of them had brought ladders to climb over the steel containers and barbwires.
The lawyers believe the success of the long march lies in the message it has conveyed to the Presidency and to the coalition government that it has the power and the backing of the people. Given the charged atmosphere at the rally the participants could have easily jumped over the containers and barbwires to create a security hazard with the riot police at the other hand. Yet, better sense prevailed and the lawyers opted to remain peaceful, which has been the hallmark of their movement ever since March 2007. The bottom line is that the lawyers proved their point that they were unwavered in their cause to get the judges reinstated. Also, the slogans raised by the participants of ‘go Musharraf go’ sent the message to the Presidency that thousands of people could gather outside of his office and demand his resignation and the once former general could do nothing to stop them.
Besides the benefit it gave to lawyers, the PML-N believes that it got the opportunity to rally its supporters and show the strength in Punjab, its stronghold. The PML-N leadership mobilised its supporters, a move it could not make even before and during the February elections given the adverse security situation.

FAILURES: The opponents of the long march say the biggest failure of the event was the inability or the indecision by the top leadership of the lawyers to stage a sit-in in front of the Presidency and the parliament building until their demands were met. It left the young and enthusiastic lawyers disappointed and it may be the beginning of the end of the lawyers’ movement. Although the lawyers’ leadership have indicated to announce in a week, a new plan for a train march from across the country, but the general impression is it will be very difficult for them to motivate the lawyers and political workers again. Most lawyers felt betrayed when Aitzaz Ahsan, at the end of his speech in front of the Presidency, said that no decision regarding staging a sit-in was taken. Hence, the lawyers were free to voluntarily stage a sit-in.
On the one hand, the decision not to stage sit-in boosted the spirits of the PPP, it also gave more confidence to Musharraf that greater powers were behind him and the people of Pakistan and the political leadership will always be afraid not to move against him. The failure of the long march could be judged from the fact that Musharraf was now feeling stronger than before.

CONCLUSION: While the debate on the success and failure of the long march is likely to continue with virtually no outcome, the fact of the matter is that the division among the political forces is widening to the benefit of the establishment. Soon after the long march ended on June 14, the PML-N indicated that it was disappointed by the PPP’s inaction to impeach Musharraf, it was lobbying to get enough signatures of lawmakers for presenting a motion in the parliament to call for impeaching Musharraf. The PML-N leadership, party officials said, are talking to other political parties to move the resolution, which will begin a kind of trial of Musharraf, as the parliamentarians will debate to impeach Musharraf. Since the PML-N does not have the strength in the parliament to move the resolution independently, it has to rely on other parties to move the motion, which requires the signatures of majority either in Senate or the National Assembly.
One PML-N leader said that the party was making the move to expose the anti-Musharraf and the pro-Musharraf forces because it already knows that it won’t be able to move the motion without the support of the PPP. Under the constitution, a resolution by 50 per cent of the lawmakers in the 342-member National Assembly or 100-seat Senate is required to call for the impeachment of the president. The Muslim League, which has about 90 seats in the National Assembly, won’t be able to move the motion alone but if the PPP and the ANP decide on not supporting the motion, they will be exposed to the people, the party official said.
It is already an established fact that divisions between the coalition partners have helped Musharraf to cling to office. Under such circumstances it is not wise for the political forces, who are symbols of democracy, to move independently because it will only help the dictator to strengthen his position. The PPP and the PML-N can’t operate independent of each other and removing a dictator, they need to stick together and hold more frequent meetings among its leadership to give a direction to the nation and their supporters.