Making sense of Musharraf’s gibberish
So Pervez Musharraf has dashed all your hopes again. Could you not see it coming for here is a man who calls himself Pakistan-incarnate, hence Pakistan First? I mean it was clear. Today’s talk which addressed the so-called senior journalists was a classic case study in my opinion. While the man himself did not budge from his blind stance, his press talk was quite clearly telling us a lot. Before I move any further I know you’ll ask why I used the expression “so-called senior journalists “. Well you know all I could see apart from Farhan Bokhari and a couple of other senior journalists whom I respect was a coterie of Musharraf’s old sycophants. Actually this reflects a lot on the current situation. He is so unpopular that he cannot even face free press. Again it also shows how distant he has become to the popular sentiments. Hence when you take advice only from a few and you are emotionally so vulnerable that you do not even care to read the newspaper, which he has more than once confessed, you can understand what the outcome of your decisions would be.
He is an isolated man. We can understand that bit. We can also understand that the list of anchors that he had invited to his show also are making his ego bloat and hence causing the nation to suffer further strife.
And I must say that I am really thankful to Gen (retired) Musharraf for clearing things up for us. With a master stroke of bafoonry has reunited the coalition which was really teetering on the brink of disaster. People’s Party was waiting for a benign move from the presidency so that no bad taste is developed. However now that the President has resolved to stay like a stubborn child tell me what option is left for the party. The people are suffering just because the judicial crisis is so prolonged that the government cannot do full justice to the other issues. Perhaps now the long march has become inevitable and the country is headed for a final showdown.
Let me also say here a few very important things. Musharraf made some interesting comments about the ex-servicemen society. I share some of his views regarding folks like Lt Gen (retired) Jamshed Gulzar Kyani and other such elements. But there are some very respectable people like Lt Gen (rtd) Asad Durrani and Lt Gen (r) Talat Masood. If such people of integrity are also asking for his removal or exit then we need to reflect on this seriously. In fact as I said his presence is still damaging the image of the army. If he continues to show stubbornness this may lead to a decisive battle that damages the federation. If he is impeached and tried army will be left in bad taste. If the army is not as arrogant as he is and if it wants to save the federation and its own image then the best way is to pressure him out of power.
I don’t think Musharraf is a democratically elected president. He first used the referendum to justify his stay in power. Then he sought vote of confidence from the parliament under the 17th amendment. Since he was not elected by the parliament he was only a de facto president seeking vote of confidence through use of his military clout. Even when he chose to get elected he stretched the rules to the breaking point by taking the vote from an out going parliament especially when a huge chunk of it had already resigned. Thanks to the democratic conventions the world over this considered a retrospective vote for his outgoing term but not the new term. Hence he is not an elected president right now and needs to validate his rule through fresh presidential elections. Tacitly he also mentioned his views on the future of the country. His tone was such as if he was telling us if he goes there would be no country. Was it a between the lines blackmail? The people of the country have tolerated his presence because he is a former army general. If the Army doesn’t intervene and remove him in next 48 hours this cannot be guaranteed any further. Please have mercy on the country.
Dear Pitafi,don’t you think its an initiative lost by the PPP ?? what cannot be assimilated when he stays defiant as ever ignoring every clarion call, issuing PPP govt a word of caution on poor governance and Pervaiz elahi catagorically stating failure of the govt? They seem to have made enough of a case now. I still wonder, why Zardari has missed to hit the hammer when it really was hot?
I can agree only partially with you. No doubt there could be swifter action. And I had also warned of this day. But let me be frank here. When you are in government you have to sustain an awful lot of pressures. WHat do you then? You tread carefully. I think while Musharraf might have developed a case against the democratic government his own stature in the army has also weakened. The PPP has convinced the establishment that it wants a long term and stable relation with the state. I personally take Musharraf’s refusal to resign as a tacit admission of his involvement in Benazir’s assassination. I will notgo if you seek UN involvement. Well if that’s that then Mr President you should remember that you are going and not the democratic demand to conduct a UN probe. Remember that clarification that you issued rebutting the impression that you yourself wanted to project that the Army Chief is not being changed? Well do you have any idea where has it left you? Poor bloke so ready to bring everything to a grinding halt.
Dear Pitafi, I do enjoy your blog, pakistan never had a democratic system per se, every ruler has some issues, let Mushharuf rule atleast he did not steal and there will be check and balances from the president, some accountability for the sake of pakistan..I dont see any dramatic change coming with or without him thats a Guarantee.Remember our army is from pakistan, so why everybody is so critical of them. Thats the only institution left that can save pakistan from complete disaster.May allah bless pakistan, ameen, thats all I can say.
Man,I amnot critical of the army. In fact my father was an army officer too.But all the same I won’t attribute such a massianic role to it. I believe everything has its assigned functions. Like I am a journalist.If someone comes to make a politician I’ll laugh at his intelligence. I am what I am because I love my job. Why should I think that I can save this country alone. Let us stop thinking that anyone of us can save it alone. It takes all the citizens to do it. How would you have stablepoliticians if you do not let them smooth experience? Army’s responsibility is to fight with arms. Let it do its job. My job is to write and analyse. let me do that. You are at a university. You do what you do.