FUMING and frothing they demand Musharraf be made an example of for his act of treason. They give long sermons on the virtues of democracy and on the curse of military dictatorship. Can anyone disagree? Certainly not. Surely the ghost of Bonapartism has to be buried once and for all to make democracy secure in this holy land.
But the irony is that the faces of many of those calling for the head of the disgraced former military ruler on TV talk shows and in newspaper statements are too familiar for us to forget their past association with various military rulers. They form a long list of crusaders, and include politicians of all hues, retired generals, retired bureaucrats and, not to be left behind, TV presenters and right-wing newspaper columnists.
Treason, they shout, must not go unpunished. Musharraf, the sole sinner, must be condemned. What about his partners in crime? No, there weren’t any. He was the only perpetrator.
But didn’t we have another military dictator not long ago by the name of Gen Ziaul Haq who executed an elected prime minister? There is scornful silence. Gen Zia was a pious man who worked for the glory of Islam, some would say. Musharraf is a traitor because he sold out to the Americans and betrayed the jihad.
But wasn’t Gen Zia also closely allied with the ‘infidel’ Americans? That was for a holy cause comes the reply.
Hypocrisy is the name of the game as the knives are out for the man in the dock. What an irony that these children of dictatorship have now turned champions of the rule of law and democracy, seeking to launder their own sins.
How can one miss retired Lt-Gen Hamid Gul pontificating on the attributes of justice and democracy? Ubiquitous on almost every TV channel nowadays, the former ISI chief notorious for his political manipulations during his heyday is one of the biggest proponents of a trial of Musharraf for subverting the Constitution. Is it not amusing to see a Zia loyalist talk about the sanctity of the Constitution, which was shredded to pieces by his mentor?
It seems so surreal that the retired general, who unabashedly defends the Taliban challenging the Pakistani state and the militant group responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, wants retribution. It is so obvious that support for the treason trial by the likes of Hamid Gul is not based on any principle and least of all on love for democracy; it is more about retrogressive ideology.
Those who supported Gen Zia’s dictatorship are now shouting themselves hoarse for Musharraf’s blood — actually for his action against Islamic militants and insurgents in the tribal areas and certainly not for his acts of subversion.
Then there is a born-again democrat, a top bureaucrat who served in successive military governments before his retirement in the late 1980s. His role, as an advisor to the then president, in the ouster of Nawaz Sharif’s first government in 1993 is well known. I remember his interview in a BBC documentary days after the Oct 12, 1999 coup hailing the military takeover. Our salvation lies with military rule, he argued. But now he is one of the most fervent advocates of putting the leader of that coup on trial. Is this change of heart for real or is it political opportunism?
Many of those who remained closely associated with the Musharraf regime till the end are now securely ensconced in the new political order — some of them part of the treasury benches and even members of the federal cabinet. It was most shocking, however, to see a retired general and a key member of Musharraf’s original team joining the condemnation of his former friend and leader.
Once the country’s strongest man, Musharraf today stands isolated, deserted by his old associates and followers. Such is the game of power politics in this Islamic republic.
Indeed Musharraf must be held accountable for his illegal, unconstitutional actions, but justice should not be selective. The trial must not be seen as an act of revenge against one person. It is convenient for the political leadership and judiciary to restrict the trial to the Nov 3, 2007 action. It is not in their interest to go back to the original sin of Oct 12, 1999.
There are too many skeletons in their closets. It was the judiciary that had legitimised the coup and an elected parliament later indemnified all the actions taken by the military-led government.
It is also a fact that almost all opposition political parties had welcomed the overthrow of the Sharif government. And months later, a majority of the ousted PML-N joined the military government. The renegades under the banner of PML-Q became the face of the new order and shared power for five years. Legislators then re-elected Gen Musharraf in uniform for a second term and approved his decision to impose emergency.
It is highly unlikely that the trial would reach any conclusion. But even if by chance the former military ruler is convicted, it is not going to block the way for any future adventurers as most political pundits believe. We need to change the political culture where usurpers are welcomed.
Someone recently posted a picture from the past of Gen Zia flanked by Nawaz Sharif and Manzoor Wattoo who is now Punjab provincial chief of the PPP on Facebook. That says a lot about our political leadership, past and present.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
'''Musharraf's Trial''' :Hypocrisy: the name of the game
FUMING and frothing they demand Musharraf be made an example of for his act of treason. They give long sermons on the virtues of democracy and on the curse of military dictatorship. Can anyone disagree? Certainly not. Surely the ghost of Bonapartism has to be buried once and for all to make democracy secure in this holy land.
But the irony is that the faces of many of those calling for the head of the disgraced former military ruler on TV talk shows and in newspaper statements are too familiar for us to forget their past association with various military rulers. They form a long list of crusaders, and include politicians of all hues, retired generals, retired bureaucrats and, not to be left behind, TV presenters and right-wing newspaper columnists.
Treason, they shout, must not go unpunished. Musharraf, the sole sinner, must be condemned. What about his partners in crime? No, there weren’t any. He was the only perpetrator.
But didn’t we have another military dictator not long ago by the name of Gen Ziaul Haq who executed an elected prime minister? There is scornful silence. Gen Zia was a pious man who worked for the glory of Islam, some would say. Musharraf is a traitor because he sold out to the Americans and betrayed the jihad.
But wasn’t Gen Zia also closely allied with the ‘infidel’ Americans? That was for a holy cause comes the reply.
Hypocrisy is the name of the game as the knives are out for the man in the dock. What an irony that these children of dictatorship have now turned champions of the rule of law and democracy, seeking to launder their own sins.
How can one miss retired Lt-Gen Hamid Gul pontificating on the attributes of justice and democracy? Ubiquitous on almost every TV channel nowadays, the former ISI chief notorious for his political manipulations during his heyday is one of the biggest proponents of a trial of Musharraf for subverting the Constitution. Is it not amusing to see a Zia loyalist talk about the sanctity of the Constitution, which was shredded to pieces by his mentor?
It seems so surreal that the retired general, who unabashedly defends the Taliban challenging the Pakistani state and the militant group responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, wants retribution. It is so obvious that support for the treason trial by the likes of Hamid Gul is not based on any principle and least of all on love for democracy; it is more about retrogressive ideology.
Those who supported Gen Zia’s dictatorship are now shouting themselves hoarse for Musharraf’s blood — actually for his action against Islamic militants and insurgents in the tribal areas and certainly not for his acts of subversion.
Then there is a born-again democrat, a top bureaucrat who served in successive military governments before his retirement in the late 1980s. His role, as an advisor to the then president, in the ouster of Nawaz Sharif’s first government in 1993 is well known. I remember his interview in a BBC documentary days after the Oct 12, 1999 coup hailing the military takeover. Our salvation lies with military rule, he argued. But now he is one of the most fervent advocates of putting the leader of that coup on trial. Is this change of heart for real or is it political opportunism?
Many of those who remained closely associated with the Musharraf regime till the end are now securely ensconced in the new political order — some of them part of the treasury benches and even members of the federal cabinet. It was most shocking, however, to see a retired general and a key member of Musharraf’s original team joining the condemnation of his former friend and leader.
Once the country’s strongest man, Musharraf today stands isolated, deserted by his old associates and followers. Such is the game of power politics in this Islamic republic.
Indeed Musharraf must be held accountable for his illegal, unconstitutional actions, but justice should not be selective. The trial must not be seen as an act of revenge against one person. It is convenient for the political leadership and judiciary to restrict the trial to the Nov 3, 2007 action. It is not in their interest to go back to the original sin of Oct 12, 1999.
There are too many skeletons in their closets. It was the judiciary that had legitimised the coup and an elected parliament later indemnified all the actions taken by the military-led government.
It is also a fact that almost all opposition political parties had welcomed the overthrow of the Sharif government. And months later, a majority of the ousted PML-N joined the military government. The renegades under the banner of PML-Q became the face of the new order and shared power for five years. Legislators then re-elected Gen Musharraf in uniform for a second term and approved his decision to impose emergency.
It is highly unlikely that the trial would reach any conclusion. But even if by chance the former military ruler is convicted, it is not going to block the way for any future adventurers as most political pundits believe. We need to change the political culture where usurpers are welcomed.
Someone recently posted a picture from the past of Gen Zia flanked by Nawaz Sharif and Manzoor Wattoo who is now Punjab provincial chief of the PPP on Facebook. That says a lot about our political leadership, past and present.
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