Musharraf's future: Views from Pakistan

Violence in the Pakistani city of Karachi last weekend involving supporters and opponents of President Pervez Musharraf left 41 people dead.

It followed weeks of protests after the president suspended Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for alleged misuse of office. The judge has since become a focus for protesters trying to end Gen Musharraf's rule.

Here people in Pakistan discuss how damaging the current situation is for President Musharraf and what his re-election chances are.

SYED A. MATEEN, FREELANCE JOURNALIST, KARACHI

Syed A. Mateen: The president is not a dictator

What happened over the weekend in Karachi is the worst law and order situation I've seen.

It was obvious from the very beginning that there was going to be trouble. I blame the local government, who wanted to prevent the chief justice to address a rally of supporters.

When the chief justice was suspended, the opposition political parties seized the opportunity to unite against the president, whose action was very much legal according to the constitution.

I don't think he has done anything wrong and I am sure that he will accept the verdict of the Supreme Court if it's in favour of the chief justice.

He should investigate what happened in Karachi and punish those who breached the law.

I think Musharraf is the right leader for this country. He has done hundreds of good things.

I think Pakistan still needs him to save the country from internal and external extremism, which have plagued the world after the 9/11 attacks.

General Musharraf is not only needed in Pakistan but he is also badly needed by the West.

In the current climate of widespread anti-US feelings, he is the only leader in South Asia who has reached a consensus with various Muslim heads of states to fight against terrorism.

He is a man of vision and thought. I do not agree with the people who call him a dictator. I have not seen him dictating his terms to the people of Pakistan or to anyone else.

I have met him and he came across as a very humble person, a down to earth man, a man of consensus.

Look at his policies with our rival neighbour India. We are now having cordial relations with India instead of fighting with each other.

ASIFA HASAN, RESEARCH FELLOW, ISLAMABAD

Asifa Hasan: Musharraf should step down

The crisis surrounding the chief justice has seriously harmed President Musharraf's reputation and has greatly reduced his chances of being re-elected.

Musharraf should have died of shame standing behind that bullet-proof glass and addressing a group of disinterested people from Punjab villages with promises of food and money, while 27 households in Karachi were mourning the deaths of their loved ones.

In my opinion his position has really weakened, and chances are that he might not be able to garner the support he needs for the coming elections.

Besides, if the rumours that (Pakistan People's Party leader) Benazir Bhutto has been selected by the US as the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, then he will probably have to resign himself to this fate in any case.

Musharraf very obviously lacks the political acumen to solve a crisis. From the very beginning of his coup-based regime, he has only made strategic blunders.

Current events have reached a stage where there isn't much that he can do to resolve the crisis.

His most dignified option is to step down and allow free and fair elections to take place.

He should also re-instate the chief justice and apologise to the nation. But to do that, he should be ready to face the music.

However if he has made a deal with the Pakistan People's Party, and they agree to accept a president in uniform, he might have a chance to save himself.

The military in Pakistan needs to learn that it is subordinate to the state, not the other way round.

It was only the first couple of years of Musharraf's tenure when I thought that he was the right replacement of the corrupt politicians.

Thereafter my suspicion that the military can never be the replacement for the politicians has only deepened.

Over the years my opinion of Musharraf has worsened. Events of the past few months have strengthened my opinion that he should be punished.

ASMA KHALIL, STUDENT, KARACHI

Things have been really rough for the past few days. We could see shops being torched from the roof of our house and we could breathe the smoke from the fire.

The most shocking and horrifying thing was that people were dying on the streets of Karachi and there was no security for them.

Where were the 90,000 policemen of this city? Where were the (paramilitary) Rangers?

People don't want Musharraf on the presidential seat any more

They are coming on TV the next day saying that they'll set things right and stop the bloodshed. But they weren't there on Saturday, how can we trust them?

The so-called 'enlightened and moderate' ruling parties of the country are following the law of the jungle.

General Musharraf is now blaming the chief justice for making the whole issue political but it was him who started it.

Even if the matter has been politicised, there was no need to stop him from attending the bar meeting and to block the road leading to the High Court.

General Musharraf has lost his credibility and his respect among people. People don't want him on the presidential seat any more.

We elect our politicians and they are there thanks to the money the people of this country give them. They have a job to do and that is to serve us, not to rule us.

Musharraf should realise that he hasn't been a good president.

HUMA IMTIAZ, TV REPORTER, KARACHI

Huma doesn't think Musharraf should be given another chance

The chief justice controversy is not about the independence of the judiciary anymore.

Musharraf was embarrassed by the decisions that the chief justice had made in certain cases and has decided to get rid of him, just like his predecessors had done.

But this time it didn't go exactly as the president had planned.

The chief justice and his lawyers have successfully embarrassed the president and have prompted international condemnation for Musharraf's actions.

Musharraf is already on shaky ground, and the US is looking for a more stable option right now.

The chief justice is being wooed by all the major political parties, and there is already talk of him becoming the next president.

The opposition parties are on the verge of forming a grand opposition alliance and unless he brokers some kind of deal with them, he will be in trouble.

He still refuses to step down as chief of army, which he had promised to do so in 2003.

He isn't the right man for this country. The US support he has received after 9/11 as well as being an ally of the West in the war on terror has made him arrogant.

If Musharraf had managed to stick to his enlightened moderation plan, he might have been able to put Pakistan on the right track.

Instead he and the ruling party have bowed down to the fundamentalists time and again, just look at the blasphemy law and the women's protection bill, etc.

I don't think he should be given another mandate. And it is high time that the army stepped back from playing an active role in the government.