The General could have it right

The General could have it right

Gen Pervez Musharraf should have become history after he exited office following the installation of an elected Government in Pakistan some two years ago. But the regime, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, has so completely frittered away the goodwill it rode upon to power that the former dictator now confidently talks of a return to active politics, ending his self-imposed exile in London. Having launched a new party, the All-Pakistan Muslim League and apologised for “political mistakes” that he did not elaborate upon, Gen Musharraf has cleverly sought to prepare a clean slate for his fresh innings. Yet, if he also slipped in the observation that the Pakistan Army should have a constitutional role to play in the country’s governance, it is an acknowledgement that he cannot hope to make a stellar return without the Army’s support. While it is not the first time he has expressed a desire to make Pakistan a “modern, progressive” state, many in that country could latch upon it as a slogan worth casting their lot with the former General, so disillusioned they are with the chaotic state of affairs under the PPP Government. It would, of course, be premature to second guess whether he will succeed in his comeback in the first place, let alone lead a Government, but there is no denying that the ground is fertile for his return. Mr Zardari’s Government — and the President in particular — has made a complete mess of the country. The friction between him and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the less than comfortable relations Mr Zardari shares with the Army have resulted in a directionless administration. The Government has clearly lost the plot, with sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni groups breaking out routinely and claiming several lives, relief measures in the wake of the devastating floods going haywire and home-grown terrorists striking important cities with impunity.

From the Indian perspective too, Mr Zardari has been a failure since he ground to dust the huge expectations that he brought along in his ascent to power. Following the Kargil war, in which Gen Musharraf had emerged as the villain and which had seriously soured relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, the Indian establishment had hoped for a new initiative from a civilian Government across the border to bring relations back on track. For a moment in the initial months after taking over, the President did show some promise when he talked of “having an Indian heart and a Pakistani heart”, but it was soon clear that such talk would not translate into action. The 26/11 attacks sealed whatever hopes New Delhi had in Mr Zardari. His failed leadership has allowed the hawks to once again take over decision-making. The increasing relevance of Mr Gilani and Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is entirely due to the collapse of Mr Zardari’s leadership. The situation is bad enough for fears of another military coup that Gen Musharraf has spoken about, to be taken seriously. While Pakistan has seen several bouts of unpleasant military rule, it has also been betrayed by democratically elected inept Governments such as those of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mr Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. This has left the ordinary Pakistani with an unenviable dilemma, one that Gen Musharraf is fully exploiting. As a civilian and former military ruler, he perhaps wants to now distill the best of both in a Government he dreams of leading. We can only wait and watch.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/287368/Musharrafs-gambit.html