Daily Times : VIEW: Another disaster in the making —Kamran Shafi

VIEW: Another disaster in the making — Kamran Shafi

August 30, 2007

What is so special about Musharraf anyway? Why does everyone want him re-elected, by hook or by crook? Why is the constitution being changed; and emergency, even martial law threatened to keep just one person in power?

God alone knows how fed up and tired I am of the ongoing argy bargy: the cheap-shot shenanigans of the junta and how desperately I want to write about something else, like my recent travels. But how can I not write about our many predicaments. How sad to see both General Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto dancing to the American tune with not a thought for the damage they are doing to the country.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the denouement of yet another American disaster.

Just look at the hoops Benazir Bhutto is being made to jump through; look at the cartwheels Musharraf is turning! Since Musharraf is/was master of all he surveyed, his cartwheels first. From saying it is either him or Nawaz Sharif, and that he has the “stronger punch” (I ask you!), he is back-pedalling furiously now that Sharif has announced his firm intention to return to the country within weeks. He will now, surprise, surprise, remove his uniform.

Now look at Benazir. In her haste to arrive at a deal with the Commando, she too has thrown caution to the wind, going to the extent of saying to the Washington Post that she was making the deal with Musharraf because “the international community (read Amreeka Bahadur) and the armed forces have confidence in Musharraf”! I ask you! When did she last poll the armed forces, please? As for the “international community”, I hope she is reading the same newspapers the rest of us are. More critically, when did the leader of the People’s Party take over Rashid Qureshi’s duties of spinning for the Commando?

Asked if Gen Musharraf could get elected without the PPP, she said, “Yes. He told me, ‘I don’t want your vote’. I advised him that it was better not to seek election from this assembly but to seek election from the next assembly because he would have greater legitimacy without a uniform, elected by a democratic verdict. But he has a different perspective. He thinks it is legal to be elected by this assembly. So we have left it to the courts to decide.”

What is this? Why is the leader of Pakistan’s largest political party, especially one that has a history of anti-Establishment and pro-people politics; a party that has never believed in drawing-room intrigues now advising a failed and thoroughly exposed military dictator how to get himself re-elected? Why, indeed, does this proactive party want to leave to the courts to rule on something that even Charlie’s Aunt knows to be completely illegal, let alone inappropriate and wholly unconscionable — Musharraf’s election by the present (rigged!) assemblies?

Then we hear that the junta’s emissaries are negotiating with Benazir Bhutto and Rehman Malik (what is Malik’s party post please? Senior Deputy Chairman?) several amendments to the constitution to allow Musharraf to circumvent possible legal challenges to his candidature. Then we hear that the Commando is also considering dismissing the assemblies and then standing for election. Then we hear that if none of the above works, emergency or martial law shall be our fate. Then we hear that he might even attempt a national reconciliation with all political groupings and so on and so forth, ad vomitum.

What is so special about Musharraf anyway? Why does everyone want him re-elected, by hook or by crook? Why is the constitution being changed; and emergency, even martial law threatened to keep just one person in power? National reconciliation now, when the Commando has alienated the major political parties completely by abusing and hounding their leadership ceaselessly?

Why, I among others have been beseeching him for six years now to effect national unity and reconciliation by opening his arms to all political leaders; by acting like a bigger brother to both Benazir and Nawaz. But do you think he listened? National reconciliation now, when the junta is losing so much blood through its self-inflicted wounds?

Much too late, if you ask me. Nawaz Sharif is certainly not of a mood to join any discussions with the junta if I read him right, especially after Musharraf threatened to box him with his “stronger punch”. (I have recently met Nawaz Sharif and can say that he is physically a very strong man indeed — I would certainly advise all comers to exercise extreme caution when threatening a boxing match with him). If she does, Benazir will do so at very high cost to her party. In my own view, every right thinking person should, indeed must, oppose the Commando’s further involvement in national life. Enough of him and his inept ways.

By the by, anyone see Major Tanvir Hussain Shah aka Gharki, Parliamentary Secretary Defence of the junta, lay into the Americans on Geo the other night, calling them terrorists and other such for invading Afghanistan and Iraq? His was the stuff! You should have seen the other two on the panel, former foreign secretary Tanvir Ahmad Khan and a retired general whose name escapes me, reeling with disbelief at the diatribe unleashed by Gharki. Is what he said the policy of the government? If not, what does Musharraf’s junta intend to do about it?

Let me end by quoting a news item in the press of a few days ago: ‘Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation think tank said US officials had been “somewhat behind the curve” in grasping how much Musharraf’s standing had diminished and how strong the pro-democratic sentiment was in Pakistan.

“The political landscape has changed drastically inside Pakistan over the last six months, with Musharraf’s popularity plummeting, and I think the administration understands that and is now seeking to adapt its policy accordingly,” Curtis said.

Kindly note the words “diminished”, “pro-democratic sentiment”, “changed drastically” and “plummeting”, Ms Bhutto. What a pity that you walked out of the ARD — you could have been leading it by now.

Oh, well.

Kamran Shafi is a freelance columnist. He can be contacted at kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk