Mubarak walks free

Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for more than three decades, and was being tried in a court on charges of corruption, murder and misuse of power is now free though he has been placed under arrest. Surprisingly, all these twists and turns have come at a time when the interim government is struggling to strike an equation with the upheavals at home and the mounting pressure from the international community to act patiently against the opposition. On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood’s fate is now almost sealed with authorities busy preparing a draft legislation to outlaw it once again. The European Union was the first to react on the happenings in Egypt when it suspended military aid, and downgraded the country for its alleged human rights violations. It is unclear what course of action the authorities have in mind to pull the strife-torn country out of the crises it finds itself in. The release of Mubarak, however, will largely be seen as a plot to rehabilitate the pro-army political forces in Egypt, and send a message to Mursi that game is up for them. The fact that Mubarak has been released on a bail and many of his associates of the yester-regime, including his sons, are still in prison makes the situation confounding. The decision to release Mubarak has caught many off guard. There is a feeling among many that hidden political compulsions allowed Mubarak to walk out of jail.

In the days and weeks to come, the interim administration will have to do a lot of plain talking to establish its neutrality and much will depend on how they explain his freedom and for how long they will keep him under house arrest.