General Pervez Musharraf, the dictator of Pakistan, sat down recently with The Guardian of Britain for an interview to proclaim that he is not a dictator. Musharraf insisted that he is a believer in democracy and his mission is to bring democracy to Pakistan:
Gen Musharraf said his mission was to democratise Pakistan. "My popularity has gone down … but at this moment my country needs me. I’ve put a strong constitutional democratic system in place. That will throw up a successor. I’m a strong believer in democracy."
Like President Bush, General Musharraf believes that democracy can be achieved with the power of the gun. While Mr. Bush is experimenting with gunboat democracy on an international level, General Musharraf is implementing this theory at the domestic level:
"It is ironic that I’m sitting in uniform talking of democracy … but to bring democracy into Pakistan I thought I needed it," he said.
Democracy, according to Musharraf, must be properly nurtured and trained. One key element in Musharraf’s theory of democracy is to ensure that there is no viable opposition. What better way to encourage democracy than to send your opposition leaders packing to a democratic country to learn about democracy:
The leaders of the two main opposition parties, Benazir Bhutto of the Pakistan Peoples party and Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League, are in exile and face arrest if they return home. Meeting in London this week they launched a fresh political alliance and called for western support.
In spite of General Musharraf’s good intentions there are still those that criticize his stewardship of Pakistani democracy. To these unbelievers, he has this to say:
Criticism of his military-driven strategy came from "people who sit in drawing rooms and talk", he said, but added that a political solution was also being sought.
Clearly too much talk is not good for a healthy democratic society. General Musharraf also is nurturing freedom of the press. However, there are times when a General has to take matters into his own hands in dealing with the press. Sacrifices must be made for the sake of democracy:
An American Predator drone fired Hellfire missiles at a house in Bajaur tribal agency in January, killing 18 people but missing their target, al-Qaida’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The attack near the Afghan border caused public uproar and brought renewed accusations that Gen Musharraf was a US puppet.
Local journalist Hayatullah Khan, who photographed missile fragments linking the strikes to the US, disappeared four days later and is still missing. A western diplomat said he was probably being held by Pakistani intelligence and may have been mistreated. [Emphasis added by me]
Democracy in Pakistan is a high ideal. To achieve it, General Musharraf understands that he must get tough on some elements in his country. There are terrorists in Pakistan and they must be crushed if democracy is to take hold:
Gen Musharraf defended his tactic of using military force instead of negotiation to quell the violence and said some collateral damage was inevitable when militants’ hideouts were attacked.
"We take extreme care to be 100% sure of the target from all sources of intelligence … There is minimum collateral damage. If someone happens to be very close to [the target], that somebody is an abetter and they suffer the loss. Sometimes, indeed, women and children have been killed but they have been right next to the place. It’s not that the strike was inaccurate but they happen to be there, so therefore they are all supporters and abetters of terrorism – and therefore they have to suffer. It’s bad luck," he said. [Emphasis added by me.]
There is no doubt that supporters and abetters of terrorism must be snuffed out. You certainly do not want to take any chances that a 2 year old (who is clearly already supporting terrorists) might one day grow up and become really dangerous. General Musharraf is, if nothing else, thorough. He will not only kill you, but he will kill your entire family, to ensure that freedom remains on the march.
General Musharraf also has a good handle on unrest in Pakistan. He has assessed the situation and decided that it is well in hand. He has also determined that his enemies are pygmies:
Gen Musharraf also played down unrest in the resource-rich province of Baluchistan, where nationalist militants are blowing up gas pipelines and trains and attacking army positions. He described the rebels as "mercenaries" and their attacks as "pin pricks", and said the disturbances were confined to one-twentieth of the province’s area.
"So what revolt are you talking about? People talk about an East Pakistan situation," he said, referring to the secession of Bangladesh in 1971. "I understand strategy. These people are pygmies."
With General Musharraf in charge of the effort to bring democracy to Pakistan, I feel that Mr. Bush’s vision of bringing democracy to the Muslim world is well on its way to fruition. It is reassuring to know that we have allied ourselves with such a courageous patriot and a lover of freedom and the rights of man. My hat is off to this thug named Musharraf.
What a great “ally“.
Yes, diplomacy is the way to go in hell holes like Pakistan. It’s worked so well in the past, no only for us but other countries:-?
M, yup, kidnapping and random murder is definitely the way to go. Women and children – throw them in with the pygmies.8-}
no math problems? what gives? i knew my advance calculus was going to come in handy in real life. so disappointing…
that is an angry looking man… did u mean to find an angry photo, or are they all like that…?>-)
on a diff note, from discussion about egypt from a few days earlier, have u ever seen an interview with mubarak?
recall one with charlie rose a few months, ok, maybe years ago, he might be a dictator of sorts, but that is a super intelligent man, no joke. listening to him and um..say, other leaders of the supposed free world, the only way he is going to go is by the bullet, he is wayy to wiley for anything else.
Musharraf doesnt seem to be as wiley, imo.
The math problem apparently wasnt working properly. I got complaints that it rejected people even after they got the problem right (although I have my suspicions about that). I think Musharraf is angry because someone just served him cold chai. I was looking for a picture where he was in full dress uniform, and this one worked out perfectly. :-" As for Mubarak, he is the consummate Arab strongman. He is smart and ruthless. There’s a big stink going on in Egypt right now about 2 judges on trial for saying the elections were a fraud. These guys just cant handle criticism. :(|)
(although I have my suspicions about that)
😮
heeeeyyyyyy!!!, i got it!!! the 2nd time, ok the 3rd, ok ok, the 5th time around…
dude, you started a new blog?!? I see that its more art than math ^:)^
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heh heh… actually, had it for about a month+, too shy to add link. this is v.3.0, after website and another blog which basicaly i did to learn the ropes of disciplined blogging…
its hopefully all art, profession aside, we’re basically an artists household at the dude.dudette’s.
You know M…the first part of the post is actually funny to think that that Guardian reporter must have attempted at an earnest interview with a real straight face…
seriously, did that G-reporter have soft questions for this guy? Oh wait, was the interview done in Pakistan? (must be)
And there we go again, precision bombing. I get really angry when Americans get all hot and bothered about Americans getting killed, but when it comes to people getting killed at the hands of their own military, it is just read as an unfortunate incident with a bunch of numbers. Thank you precision bombing, now we have a few more terrorists waiting in line trying to get ‘at America’. To me, terrorism doesn’t start up in a vacuum and you should wonder what kind of covert things have gone on abroad that lead people to ‘hate America’ and Americans. Now of course, I can wash my hands in innocence and say, well, I am not American, but little will that do me if I am on a hijacked plane or something/place. Hatred gets bred and I shudder to think how many innocents have been killed that those ‘terrorists’ are avenging. There are terrorists and then there are terrorists.
Btw Dude..are you following me?? Haha, I know, it’s the other way around (dude here is my personal blog referencer/researcher..AND a very artistic one at that)
Maybe we/you (mash) ought to come up with a ‘thug wall of shame’..
Ingrid
Who would have thunk that a guy named ‘dude’ would be so artistic. I have to devote an afternoon to your blog to really appreciate it. Very nice indeed.
And why are you channeling e.e. cummings?!?:-??
Ingrid, Musharraf can’t help himself. You should hear what he said to the Washington Post about Pakistani women getting raped for money. You can read it in my old post about Mukhtar Mai.
mushraufff is a thuggy indeed… mash, i have to fess up, there is no love lost between and the natiuon of pakistan, i am not pk myself, but perhaps i share ur sentiments of some historical perspective.. ahrm ahrm, nuff siad, just betwixt us fellow bloggers..
and.. HEYYY! why cant i be an artist??!! just because i am not making a living from it yet, doesnt mean a dude cant be an artist!!
u wait, wait till i get famous and depressed and am forced to go live in goa or seychelles or some remote greek island, then u’ll be sorry for making fun of my artistic abilities…
misTER..[-(
PS: ingrid, we all might as well be group iming.. and mash, was lookign forward to ur pespective and comments on rP.. what gives?
ok, dude, I’m slacking…or, lurking, actually.
Just went to HuffPo and saw that they linked to the Guardian interview. Except they used the same pic of Musharraf I used (and no tip of the hat either :()…here’s thelink.
I have very little love lost for Musharraf either… but in his defence – things are not made easy by the fact that the religious parties are the ones who will gain if he leaves – and they are certainly not easily convinced by democractic tendencies.
Plus, Musharraf may not believe in freedom of press much, he certainly does more than Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif – since things are much more liberal now in Pakistan (media wise) than they were under them.
The only reason Bhutto and Sharif have not been done for massive fraud is probably because it would annoy many of the Pakistani elites.
Musharraf has still hung on to power primarily because the people prefer him than the religious parties or the other politicians. Even Imran Khan hasn’t made much of a dent.
grudgingly, the dude has to agree with Sunny, i am not happy about it, but u r right..
better the thuggy we know, then the evil we dont…:(
the longer the thuggy stays in power, the worse the alternative will become. And ultimately the alternative will come to power. Better deal with thuggy now than deal with the alternative later. Just a thought. 8->
Pakistan has the 2nd fastest growing economy (after P.R. China ahead of India) in Asia and we can thank Gen. Musharaf. What use is democracy if you dont have money. We do have elections in Pakistan so yes we are a democracy. Pakistan will be the 4th largest economy in Asia in 20 years (behind China, Japan, and India) and we can thank Gen. Musharaf. Oh also we are getting all of those cool tech jobs. Did you know Pakistan designed and wrote the software for the new BMW’s? Stop whining and start investing in us. Stop Hating.
Pakistan was the closest USA ally in the Cold War and for its reward got cut in half and had 5 million refugees flood the country. Regardless of what Gen. Musharaf is he has made the country much stronger than it has ever been. Our economy is way better then ever. You are such a coward writing this blog; why dont you go manage your country instead of critising those who are doing their best. Your a typical liberal whiner.
Jay, are you kidding me? 😮
I am going to guess that you are joking. You said:
If Pakistan is a democracy then I am Chairman Mao.
You said:
Yes, and I suppose part of your reward was the opportunity for Yahya Khan to murder 3 million Bengalis before you were cut in half.
General Musharraf is the kind of ally we can do without. His vaunted referendum of 2002 had less than 30% turnout and was widely regarded as rigged. He also seems to not take well to dissent. From the Wikipedia article:
You conclude:
Pakistan is not my country and I have no desire to “manage” it. I am sure Musharraf is doing his “best” and that is precisely what worries me. What exactly is a “typical liberal whiner”? Please let me know. I realize that pointing out inconvenient facts in Pakistan under Musharraf can lead to exile or death, but here in the United States we are able to voice our opinion without fear of persecution. It’s a novel concept, perhaps Musharraf would do well to learn from it.
Finally, Jay, thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate your feedback.
i am an army officer in pakistan army.it is a sad sitiuation that non of the political parties could do enough in pakistan to leave a legacy of principles.bet all tried to get as rich as faronz were.what about us the people.i am no coward to run away or out of my country.i wish to make a defference.god willing i will.as for the westren folks ,u keep on selling ur values and some day u will find your twisted satisfaction.all i hope for u is that it better not be too late.good luck:)>-
captain, you should be commended for trying to make a difference.
However, I think you have put the argument on its head. It is not that the political parties in Pakistan did not leave a good legacy in the country, it is the other way around. Pakistan, since 1947, has been mostly under military rule. It has had brief periods of democracy. Military rule does not exactly foster the growth of a liberal democracy – the institutions necessary for a strong underpinning of a functioning society are never created under military dictatorships. So, whenever Pakistan has experimented with democracy, it has been a failure – corrupt leaders have taken advantage of a dysfunctional system for their own profit. And of course there is that case where when a democratic election caused the “wrong” people to come to power, the army took it upon itself to slaughter 3 million of us. Not exactly a recipe for a healthy democracy. 😕
It also seems from your comment that you believe that the military has some place in politics. The only place the military has in politics is not to be in politics. A political military is not a military, its a bunch of politicians with guns and tanks – does not exactly breed healthy discourse. You and the rest of the military, instead of trying to make a “difference”, should go back to your barracks. You have no place in politics – the only safe place for a military is under the control of a civilian leadership.
As for us “cowards” who live in the West, I would say to you that it does not take much bravery to bully and kill unarmed civillians. You want to show “bravery” go back to your barracks and show some discipline. Your track record on the battlefield is not exactly sterling – as I recall you had your asses handed to you in 1971 – perhaps you should work on your fighting skills and leave the running of a country to the civilians. Cheers.:(|)
😕 this man is good with words.have to give him that.and more so he knows the affairs of my land.well dear friend i regard u for that and am not a jocker to turn away my face from reality and laugh.there is only one fair way and that is that,no story telling.so u r a writer and know ur history.but franclly telling u a little about me.i never liked this word me,perfere us.i resigned my commission in 2004 apr and was one of the top running horses in army ranks,had no charges any and had outstanding reports.served on border once and volenteered three more textended periods totaling 12months.i was there in kargil war.well i saw that all this will never lead to a past one can be proud of while on death bed.i left all that glory and came back to my family.got married and am blessed with a son.family changes a man.one cant afford the luxary of principles.had been a traveller all my life.but now would want to stay close to my family.mother ,grandmother,wife ,5 sister,son and a labradore i would call trigger.now that put aside.our leader and politics seems to be going down hill.is it possible that democracy can be achieved without massive bloodshed.can no true political party can win elections and tell our people that there is always hope even in midst of all this mess.i mean after all we all life in 21st century and world is a global village, so what is missing here.and for that addressing west as coward.i never said that,yes ur social values leave me behind a little.west had been as brave as men can be.2nd world war was a mountain of sacrifices no man can deney.no hard feeling ,it is just that what ever the man is he is our president.there is no man who would spit on his own nation saying we are not strong enough.every rise has a fall.all people need is leadership.we will rise out of it .
well dear friend,u have not added any of ur comments in a few days.i was worried for ur health,hope all is well with u.[-o<
In 1993 my family members were brutualy killed and a women(housemate) was reped my MQM.
I had to move to Dubai and than to USA to save my life. Karachi is a city run by savages.
Now it is time to tell people how cruel MQM is. My home was also taken over by MQM.
I have few pictures and property documents which I am giving it to press.
Mash you are a typical western hypocrite a whiner and a sadist. To be honest you have no skills in journalism or article writing. you the west have always atacked nations that are 10 times smaller then ur country and on top of that you guys have had your arses kicked twice by the somaliz, vietanmese,iraqis and now the iranians. In somalia we saevd your white asses at black hwak down you guys should atleast acknowledge that. But i know ur nature you wont because you come from a nation that are full rednecks or crooked ass brits ith no history no values not even religion. hell you even consider domestic partnership legal that has been prohibited by the bible and therfore are involved in sin. bloody whiners
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher has said that the
nuclear deal like the one with India, which is still to be signed,
cannot be made with any other country – Pakistan included. Tehran
is asking a pertinent question. Is it not a violation of the NPT to
make such a deal with India? Favouring a nuclear India, which has
been sitting in Russia’s lap, and refusing another nuclear country,
Pakistan, which has been ‘an ally of allies’, a ‘major non Nato
ally’, a coalition partner and the frontline state in the war
against terror, is it not a foolish behaviour? It cannot be
justified by any moral or political standard. Do the republicans
think that since Pakistan is a relatively small military power, it
can be squeezed by the neck to accepting US hegemony? France has
also signed a nuclear deal with India. Does it mean that the bush
administration will have no objection if these two cooperate in
nuclear field? During the 70s France had agreed to supply a
reprocessing plant to Pakistan. The US objected to it and pressured
Paris to cancel the agreement and guess what it was again under the
republican leadership.With the face red in embarrassment the French
president announced the cancellation of the agreement.The French
media had accepted that the US had arm-twisted the French into
refusing the plant to Pakistan. The then prime minister Z. A.
Bhutto was infuriated by US intervention.
It would be a good idea if Pakistan makes, in the present
changed circumstances when it is already a nuclear power, a deal
with Britain or France (again) to acquire a reprocessing plant for
civil nuclear energy direly needed for power generation and
agricultural purpose. The opposition to such a plant would not be
relevant now. What is good for India is also good for Pakistan –
without exception.
Sammy, I am confused by your tirade. I do recall that Pakistan has a pretty embarrassing history of trying to commit genocide and getting its ass handed to it. So, spare me the history and sociology lession you ignorant hack.
Just a small error, Mash (it is indeed a very rare occurrence… you must have been driven to near insanity by the likes of Sammy! And you did state the facts correctly above in response to some other kaptan):
Pakistan did not “try” to commit genocide: it actually DID commit one of the most atrocious genocides since the Jewish Holocaust as Bangladesh declared its independence. And then the worthless Pakistanis got their asses handed back to them. And now they act even more arrogantly than the US (albeit only when it comes to the affairs with its neighbors), because those War Criminals, the Pakistani generals and captains and havildars and sepoys, were never persecuted, let alone punishment, for their shameful acts.
Ikram, my error. I still stand by the “you ignorant hack” part of the comment to Sammy above 🙂
Of course, Mash! I never disputed that part of your rebuttal 🙂