| Issue 25 Vol II, October 15, 2006 | Archive |
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In the Line of Fire or Embarrassment
It requires a great deal of moral courage to tell the truth [sachi sakhi], yet not could be like Jean Jacques Russo or Mahatama Gandhi to bare themselves without hesitation while narrating their lives to the public. Sadly, Musharraf can make no such claims, though he carried an entourage of 70 ministers and officials to America and England for the promotion of the book and some added diplomacy at the cost of a poor country like Pakistan. Yet the book as someone wrote long back, “Speak so that I may know you. Write so that the world may know you” does reveal a bit of the mind of the Pakistani ruler. Let us look at some of the claims. His account about the Kargil War is not only discounted by the Indian political establishment or army, but many independent observers. He admits that not only mujhadeens but regular troops from the Northern Command were involved and the war was lost not because of the army, but due to a weak prime minister Nawaz Sharif [ and so he had to oust him and seize power].
Another fact embarrassing to the Pakistani nation is that the American Assistant Secretary of state , Richard Armitage had threatened after the al Qaeda 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington that the U.S.A would bomb Pakistan to stone age if it did not cooperate with Americans in their fight against the terrorists in Afghanistan. And Musharraf complied. So long we have been told by him and his handpicked ministers that it was a principled fight against terrorism. Now he admits of the American threat for which Pakistan got millions of dollars in aid and arms supplies and continues to get it. In fact, this role has been that of mercenary. America and its allies required Pakistan to oust the Russians from Afghanistan and it obliged by raising al Qaeda and Talibans and once Russians left, America withdraw and stopped all help till September 2001. And, when it needed to kill the Talibans and its cadres, Pakistan helped bomb a fellow Muslim country to Stone Age. What is worse, its army and some other people got ‘bounty money’ for hunting so the called Talibans in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We in Punjab know how during the days of militancy, many police officers and others claimed ‘bounty money’ and many innocents particularly those who had lands and property ‘disappeared’. This along with revelations about major Taliban leaders has angered the CIA. Many suspected terrorists who languish in Guatanamo Bay were picked up by Pakistan’s ISI for millions of dollars of illegal payments. Investigations by journalists tell us that many are innocent. Musharraf's claims that his administration was bullied into action by a more powerful country and was forced to make a choice or suffer consequences all in the name of "defending America". This is being resented in Pakistan in a big way and there is no political party except Musharraf’s own party that has not spoken against it. Pakistan may be a client state, but to admit this at the highest level should be really hurting the self respect of all Pakistanis. Similarly Musharraf has picked up Pakistan nuclear scientist and father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, Dr A.Q.khan and blamed him for all the illegal supply of nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran. It is meant to please his American bosses and bail out army generals who had been privy to the game. This is bound to generate sympathy for the scientist as is clear from the comments and reports in Pakistan newspapers. As Pakistani columnist Ayaz Amir points out, “The title, In the Line of Fire, evokes the image of a leader surrounded by danger, battling huge odds and coming out on top. But it is not beyond the usual cynics to think that more than the leader it is the people of Pakistan who have been in the line of fire for the last seven years that the general has been in power.” Musharraf may or may not have money in mind. So is the awkwardness being engendered on both sides of the Atlantic part of another agenda? One assumption is that he has come into the open to justify his position to the US and to counter claims that Pakistan has not done enough to combat the international terror threat from al-Qaeda. Remember he has been openly acclaiming on radio and television and newspapers that but for Pakistan the west can not fight the Talibans and the terrorists. It is another matter that Pakistan still exports them to any country it wishes to. The book is intended to bolster Gen Musharraf's sagging reputation at home, where the revelations have caused big consternation. He has been accused by critics of being too close to the west. But in October next year Pakistan will go to the polls. Constitutionally, President Musharraf should stand down. This may be the general's quick move to gather support for a democratic façade; his continuation as president while still donning the uniform as head of the army. All in all like the late army ruler self styled Field Marshal Ayub khan’s autobiography wrote , ‘ Friends’ , not Masters which made some splash when he was ruling and it adorns the footpaths, this book may meet the same fate. |
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IT
is not unusual for presidents, prime ministers or army dictators to write
their autobiographies. But most of them indulge in this pastime after they
have retired from active public duty, if at all they were performing that.
It is also not unusual to get the books ghost written as not many can wield
the pen. Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf who seized power on
October 12, 1999 and then stage-managed an election to install himself as
president has just finished release campaign for his book in America and
England. His autobiography, ‘In the Line of Fire’ has added at least one
million dollars [Rs five crore] to his pocket, if nothing else.
Like many other public men in Pakistan, Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan parliamentary leader of the Muslim league PML [Nawaz] tells
us, “At a meeting held in the Governor’s House at Lahore during the Kargil
operation Gen Musharraf had told the Cabinet Committee on Defence that the
army was in great trouble at Kargil. The then air chief and the naval chief
had expressed reservations over the Kargil situation and complained that
they had not been taken into confidence before the launching of the
operation.” The cease fire and withdrawal in which American President Bill
Clinton played a role was meant to save the face of the army. This is clear
to the entire world. But not to the great general who so ably masquerades
as a democratically elected president.