Musharraf
Came, He Saw, But Failed to Conquer
By Dr Ghulam M. Haniff
US
Until his faux pas at the first press conference,
and a bigger one at the second, Pervez Musharraf,
the President of Pakistan, dressed in an immaculately
tailored suit, pranced around during the opening
session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations as the darling of the West. Upon his arrival
his hard-hitting interview with reporters started
out well but degenerated as he lost control over
the issue of rape.
When he delivered his speech at the World Jewish
Congress dinner on the Saturday night of that
week his image had tarnished somewhat, but recouped
a bit as he spoke on the Middle East peace as
a “moderate and enlightened” Islamic
leader. The prolonged standing ovation given when
he arrived and applause punctuating his keynote
address was a refreshing change from combat with
reporters.
The statements on rape hounded him as he made
the rounds meeting notables in the government
circles of Washington. While still in the nation’s
capital women’s rights champions had taken
out protest demonstrations in Karachi and elsewhere
in Pakistan, castigating the President for claiming
that women are lining up to be raped so they can
apply for visas to foreign countries and become
“millionaires.”
In his first press conference in New York the
President was right on the mark by talking tough
to reporters comparing the plight of women in
developed and developing countries. Unfortunately,
he got carried away, became somewhat agitated
and defensive and claimed that women want to be
raped for monetary reasons.
Musharraf has done a lot for Pakistan in the short
time he has been at the helm of the state. Almost
single-handedly he turned the country around from
its imminent collapse and resurrected an economy
that had been on a downward spiral. Even as a
military man he has been visionary enough to try
to transform the country by building institutions
for the implementation of democracy.
The media in the West recognizes the success of
his economic policies and commends him for the
current 7.3 growth rate in the economy. There
is no doubt that he is the first leader of the
country to emphasize the pursuit of education
for the betterment of the society. From the policies
he has adopted it seems that he very well understands
that brainpower, that is the cultivation of human
resources through educational training, is the
foundation of national power, prosperity, creativity
and military strength.
If he played his cards right Musharraf can go
down in the history of Pakistan as its greatest
leader, second only to the founder of the nation
Quaid-i-Azam M. A. Jinnah.
The press in the West keeps reminding its readers
that Musharraf is basically a soldier who lacks
spontaneity and the deft use of words in his dealings
with reporters. He is no George Bush who can spit
out the right words and turn phrases that captivate
listeners. Musharraf has had no experience in
vying for votes in the political arena, a type
of competitive combat that every politician needs
to master to be successful. But he could hire
speech-writers who would put the right words in
his mouth, and train him for extemporaneous delivery.
In view of the deficit in his communications skills
Musharraf’s exchange with reporters in Washington,
as well as the meeting with rising leaders and
the Pakistani community, turned out to be disastrous.
When he denied having made the statement that
women were lining up to be raped, reporters lost
no time in exposing him for his falsehood. One
of the cardinal rules of political leadership
is never to get caught in a lie, because in a
democracy that would mean the end of one’s
career. Musharraf did get caught and that has
immensely tarnished his image.
But the General does not have to worry about losing
his job since all the males in Pakistan are with
him on the issue of violence against women. Ironically,
Musharraf is the first leader of the country who
has seriously tried to ameliorate the atrocious
plight of women and has encouraged their participation
in the political process.
Yet, leaders of Muslim countries ought to realize
that women constitute a powerful constituency
worldwide. Their concerns cannot be cavalierly
dismissed. They do have legitimate gripes, as
recent spate of high profile rapes and abuse in
Pakistan has demonstrated.
Despite his tough talk with reporters in New York
at his arrival Musharraf’s observation on
rape was to dog him for much of his stay in the
US. He came as a conquering hero, the leader of
the frontline state in the war against terrorism,
a highly applauded ally of the United States,
a relentless promoter of peace in South Asia,
but for two irreversible blunders he had to return
home in ignominy with his tail between his legs.
He came to the world conclave to ascend the global
stage, to command attention as a dynamic and emerging
leader, but in the end failed to conquer the hearts
and minds of the international community. - haniff@stcloudstate.edu
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