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Syed Fakhar Imam discussed parliamentary government and the greater role it needs to play in Pakistan. He argued that the current political arrangements inevitably lead toward instability in Pakistan's government by granting too much power and decision-making authority to a single individual who lacks a legitimate mandate for rule. To bolster his claims, Mr. Imam pointed to the recently passed Seventeenth Amendment to Pakistan's constitution, which ceded greater powers from the parliament to the president, General Pervez Musharraf. Furthermore, he contended that the National Security Council, which is led by the president and includes the prime minister, concentrates power in the hands of the executive. This centralization of power has led to a situation where, both domestically and internationally, "no one's looking at parliament." They are instead watching Musharraf - rendering the National Assembly effectively toothless as a decision-making body.

Mr. Imam questioned the argument (advanced by the president's supporters) that there is no feasible alternative to General Musharraf. What sort of continuity or stability is to be found under the current arrangements, he asked, without Musharraf in office? He also took issue with claims of a prospering Pakistani economy. According to official government figures, inflation is currently at 10 percent, and poverty afflicts 34 percent of Pakistan's population.

Pakistan's problems go beyond economics, however. Mr. Imam argued that democracy is a prerequisite for tolerance, meaning that gains by extremist parties under the military government are to be expected and can only be neutralized through the democratic process. The lack of popular participation in government led to dissatisfaction in several provinces, such as Baluchistan and the Northwest Frontier, which, compared to such provinces as Musharraf's home of North Punjab, were unhappy with their share of national resources and finances. In the eyes of the people, the government does not possess a mandate, which only heightens their frustrations.

Syeda Abida Hussain echoed many of Imam's comments as well as his criticism of Musharraf. She argued that six and a half years in office should have been enough time for him to do what he intended to do and that Musharraf's term has been characterized by more talk than change. Despite growing up as a democrat, she admitted even she was willing to give Musharraf a chance in 1999, and she hoped that he would finally allow Pakistanis the "privilege" of voting a government out of power. She expressed her disappointment that this had not happened. She criticized the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan Crocker, for his remarks that Pakistan is a much more democratic country than the rest of the Middle East. She stated that Pakistan might more aptly be compared to its democratic neighbor, India, and wondered why Pakistanis could not have a similarly "stable, great democracy."

She expanded her criticism of the military government, saying that despite earlier talk of stepping down peacefully, Musharraf instead extended his term in office and seems to be following the path of earlier Pakistani military leaders. She saw in his unwillingness to relinquish his military title a desire to "use his uniform to exercise clout over civilians."; Additionally, since September 11, his claims to power and leadership have reached grandiose new heights and have nullified his earlier democratic promises. Similarly, his government has implemented a plan to devolve greater power to local governments with something less than alacrity, while competition for the office of nazim, a municipal post, has degenerated into a nepotistic exercise.

To address these problems, Imam and Hussain have joined a group of former parliamentarians from all of Pakistan's provinces to advocate the holding of free, fair, and impartial parliamentary elections under the watch of an independent election commission. They would like to see these elections take place in late 2005 or early 2006. Parliamentary elections will allow the people to end the ad-hoc arrangements currently in place and express their confidence in a mandated government, and will allow Pakistan to compete economically with other countries in the region, such as India.

Both speakers saw a troubling development in Mr. Musharraf's changed attitude towards democracy after September 11. Increased international attention to President Musharraf and Pakistan's role in the war on terror has only reinforced the General's delusions of grandeur, while stifling his earlier commitments to democratic change. Until a government designed to enrich all people, rather than just its leaders, is selected through free and fair parliamentary elections, the people of Pakistan will not have a legitimate, participatory government. Meanwhile, extremism and economic difficulties will continue to grow. Hussain and Imam also expressed their beliefs that Pakistanis desire peace in Kashmir, friendship with the United States, and representative government. In reiterating their desire that President Musharraf willingly cede power and hold elections on schedule, they emphasized that a peaceful transfer of power from the military to a parliamentary government is imperative for the greater good of Pakistan and its people.