The Opposition’s
Reply to Musharraf
By Dr Ahmad Faruqui
Danville, California
Here is the Opposition’s
hypothetical reply to President Musharraf’s
hypothetical state of the union speech (Pakistan
Link, March 17 2006).
“Honorable Parliamentarians. General Musharraf
has gracefully reminded us that he has been in
power for six and a half long years. While I have
no quarrel with his seven-point agenda, I question
his legitimacy to continue pursuing it. Like previous
uniformed presidents, he has long overstayed his
welcome.
“Even if we put aside the issue of how he
came to power, we have to deal with the issue
that at the time of his coup, he did not announce
his intention to stay in power indefinitely. Had
he done so, there would have been rioting in the
streets. Instead, he got the Supreme Court to
give him a three-year tenure, after which he assumed
the position of president through a Referendum
and then got himself “elected” for
five years. Through his political intermediaries,
he has disclosed his intention to be re-elected
next year. Should he do that, I have no doubt
that history would judge him harshly, as it has
judged our three prior military rulers.
“Turning to his seven-point agenda, you
will notice that restoration of democracy was
not on the list. He spoke of de-politicizing state
institutions but the only institution that he
de-politicized is this Parliament. He failed to
de-politicize the one institution that really
needed it, i.e., the Pakistan Army. He spoke of
bringing swift accountability to the country,
but failed to do so, since all those in uniform
were given a pass. He spoke of restoring inter-provincial
harmony. Instead, he contributed to inter-provincial
discord this past year by raising the issue of
the Kalabagh Dam and then by pursuing a military
operation in Balochistan.
“He has compromised the international sovereignty
of the country by letting a major foreign power
fire missiles at will along our northern border
with Afghanistan, killing innocent Pakistanis.
Any self-respecting ruler would have demanded
an apology and taken up the issue at the Security
Council.
“The general tells us that Pakistan has
become a middle-income country. That may be so,
but the poor people are feeling they are poorer
while the rich are feeling they have become richer.
Does the man on the street really care that our
exports are growing at double-digit rates and
our foreign exchange reserves have topped the
$10 billion mark? He wants to make an honest living,
something that has become very difficult during
the past year. When the general said that the
trickle down effect is a fundamental proposition
of economics, he must surely have known that it
was called “Voodoo Economics” in the
very country where the term originated, i.e.,
the USA.
“After letting gang rapists go free and
also those who violate minority place s of worship,
one would have thought the general would be ashamed
of saying that his administration had empowered
women and minorities. But instead he slanders
the women of this country by saying they invite
rape so they can migrate to Canada.
“General Musharraf talks proudly of having
introduced real democracy in the country but all
he has done is created a Frankenstein’s
monster, the National Security Council (NSC).
This is supposed to mediate between the three
“power brokers” in the country. Under
the constitution of Pakistan, there is only one
power broker, and that is the prime minister.
His powers are kept in check by the president
and the Supreme Court. There is no reason to insert
the military into politics.
“Even if we accept the notion of an NSC,
it would be difficult to see how it would keep
the army from taking power, since explicit constitutional
provisions against military takeovers have failed
to prevent coups. The impotency of the NSC is
evident, since the army continues to be in power.
True to his military training, the General is
fond of unity of command and has no interest in
separation of powers, since it is a democratic
concept.
“The General proudly tells us the press
in Pakistan is as free as that in any developed
country. Then why is it that ‘Reporters
Without Borders’ has labeled him a predator
of the press?
“His says that Sindhi soldiers will be protected
from the tyranny of feudal lords since there is
a general behind each soldier. All this does is
replace the evil of feudalism with the evil of
militarism.
“The General continues to believe that the
military is the only institution that can give
national cohesion to the country. Yet, if the
military were such a fundamental principle of
Pakistan’s national identity, then why did
the Quaid-i-Azam not envision a political role
for it? The Quaid felt Pakistan needed a strong
military so that it could defend itself against
aggression at the border, not as an instrument
of social and political transformation.
“As far back as June 1963, I. H. Burney
had written, ‘Defense as yet is a closed
chapter in Pakistan…this country now maintains
armed forces at a level far beyond its own resources.’
Burney said that this had led to both external
and internal complications, and still failed to
secure Kashmir. The prescient analyst that he
was, he saw the danger in the creation of a large
regular army, since it would become ‘a decisive
power elite.’ Forty-three years later, defense
continues to be a closed chapter and the army
has become the decisive power elite.
“I am glad that General Musharraf has been
fortunate to pray inside the two holiest mosques
half a dozen times. All this proves is that like
so many other tyrants and despots in the Muslim
world, he has bonded well with the Saudi royals.
“In closing, I would like to say that the
country has veered off the right track. Much work
remains to be done in restoring the sovereignty
of the people of Pakistan. Fellow Parliamentarians,
I hope you will join me in insisting that General
Musharraf step down from the presidency prior
to next year’s elections and retire from
the army, something that he was obligated to have
done back in September 2001. If he were still
to be on the scene as president and army chief
when elections are held in 2007, it would be impossible
to ensure their impartiality. I urge the General
to live up to the vision of Allama Iqbal and the
Quaid. They envisioned a secular and democratic
Pakistan, not one that was chronically trapped
in the steel cage of military rule, nor one that
required the NSC to hold it together.”
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