Democracy can be so inconvenient, especially in countries crucial to our strategic interests.

There was Asif Ali Zardari, sitting pretty as Pakistan’s president, partly because the U.S.’s favorite tinpot Islamic dictator, Pervez Musharraf, had airily decreed a law granting amnesty to senior politicians against corruption (and other) charges. Back in the days of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan was only a pretend democracy, and all manner of things were possible.

But now that Pakistan seems to believe in the rule of constitutional law again, some acts of Musharrafism have had to be disavowed. The Supreme Court has been rude enough to declare Musharraf’s politician amnesty illegal. That leaves President Zardari in the uncomfortable position of facing several pending court cases for corruption.

Zardari, of course, dismisses the charges as politically motivated. But the fact remains that when Benazir Bhutto ran Pakistan, Zardari (her husband) was contemptuously known as Mr. Ten Percent. It’s hard for your political enemies to conjure up that kind of national reputation just out of thin air. Suffice it to say that nobody in Pakistan seriously buys Zardari’s protestations of innocence.

Zardari is now facing calls for his resignation. Even though he is protected from prosecution by presidential immunity, the Supreme Court ruling still leaves Zardari politically vulnerable, and Pakistan dangerously unstable:

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has struck down an amnesty protecting the president and senior ministers from corruption charges, raising questions about the survival of the US-backed civilian government.

While President Asif Ali Zardari is immune from prosecution while in office, Wednesday’s ruling heaps pressure on his administration which is a key partner of the United States in the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

The Supreme Court hearing has churned up details of Zardari’s alleged personal fortune, and the president already faces plummeting public approval ratings and fractious relations with the powerful military.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar were among more than 30 politicians and 8,000 people who had benefitted from the original amnesty contained in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
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The amnesty covered 3,478 cases ranging from murder (yes, amnesty for murder; it’s good to be the king!), embezzlement, abuse of power and write-offs of bank loans worth millions of dollars. The Supreme Court ruling Wednesday said that all cases suspended under the NRO would now revert back to their status as of October 5, 2007 — meaning they will be automatically reopened.

Lawyers and civil rights activists had challenged the NRO on the grounds that it encouraged corruption and allowed wrongdoers to escape justice.

Zardari’s fate will now hinge on what legal action is taken next, as court cases against his allies could implicate him and call into question his eligibility for the presidency.

A number of cases were also pending against him when the NRO was passed.

“Cases will be re-initiated and it is possible that some people may file petitions challenging the constitutional immunity being enjoyed by President Zardari,” said Salman Raja, a senior lawyer.

Zardari spent several years in jail for corruption and is still referred to as “Mr Ten Percent” because of his reputation for taking kickbacks on deals.

The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N party has recently upped calls for him to give up powers to dissolve parliament and sack the prime minister. Any political fracas will likely unnerve Islamabad’s Western allies, who want stability to allow Pakistan to focus on quashing Islamist extremism.

Pakistan is ranked the 40th most corrupt country out of 180 monitored by global watchdog Transparency International, and many governments have fallen or been ousted by the military over accusations of graft.

In Pakistan-style democracy, the military’s role in government isn’t limited to the occasional coup. It’s a key power broker, perfectly capable of toppling governments. So stand by to see what develops in the most unstable country in the world to possess nuclear weapons.