It has been one year since Gen. Pervez Musharraf seized power in Pakistan. The coup was welcomed by many Pakistanis who had grown weary of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his increasingly corrupt rule. The rest of the world was more wary, although many countries were willing to tolerate the new government in hopes that it might make a new start for Pakistan. It has been a disappointing year. Although Mr. Musharraf has proven to be the most benevolent dictator in Pakistan's history, he has not tackled the problems that forced him -- so he says -- to take the reins of government. It is time to prod the general to do just that.
The problems are daunting. The economy is anemic. Gross domestic product grew a mere 2.7 percent last year, which barely outpaced the 2.6 percent rise in the population. GDP per capita is only $450; 85 percent of Pakistanis live on less than $2 a day. More than half the population over the age of 15 is illiterate. Infant mortality is 91 per 1,000 live births.
Budget priorities are misplaced. The government spends only 2.7 percent of GDP on education and less than 1 percent on health. Yet it can muster 4 percent for the army, who knows how much for its nuclear weapons program, and 5 percent on the civil service.