Economic woes deepen gloom before vote in Pakistan

By Mark Bendeich - Analysis

KARACHI (Reuters) - Economic issues loomed large over Pakistan's bloody election campaign as food queues and power cuts further dimmed President Pervez Musharraf's political fortunes just 12 days after his main rival was killed.

Musharraf, and the political parties that back him in the run-up to February 18 parliamentary elections, are besieged on two fronts: accused of failing to protect slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and of allowing basic services to fall apart.

Pakistanis, already angry over the still-unsolved assassination, are complaining bitterly of prolonged blackouts, shortages of flour, a staple, and rising prices. The front pages of dailies now fret over the economy as much as Bhutto's death.

"It's extraordinary, this kind of crisis," said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi. "Musharraf should be the most worried person. This is a difficult situation in any case."

Musharraf is not running for election in the polls but hopes parties allied to him perform well enough to form government that can safeguard his presidency, analysts said.

That was already a challenge when Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack on the campaign trail on December 27.

But the flour shortage, blamed on hoarding and smuggling of wheat because of low prices and expectations of a poor crop, has hit the nation of 160 million people where it hurts.

"It's not fair," said Younis, a retired worker who said he had waited in vain for hours outside a government store in Karachi to buy flour. He was among dozens of empty-handed people jostling at the front door, pleading with the storekeeper.

"We are very angry. He is giving only to his relatives."

Roti, or unleavened bread, is eaten with almost every meal, from the poorest household to the wealthiest.

And, increasingly, these meals are also being eaten by candlelight, or in complete darkness, thanks to a worsening shortage of power and continuous nationwide blackouts. The prices of candles are rising as Pakistanis stock up on them.

MUSHARRAF'S PERFECT STORM?

To conserve power, Pakistan recently ordered all steel-melting plants to close for two weeks and for hundreds of textile mills to reduce operations, a government official said on Saturday. Offices and shopping centers were told to close early.

Pakistan is suffering a power deficit of up to 3,600 megawatts due to low water levels at hydro dams and damage to two main power lines attacked during the three days of violence that erupted after Bhutto's assassination.

Even before Bhutto's death, and the escalation of power cuts, an opinion poll by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute showed that two-thirds of Pakistanis wanted Musharraf to quit and that his allies would fare badly at elections.