Raising Pakistan's
Flag Higher
By Air Marshal (Retd.)
Ayaz Ahmed Khan
Los Angeles, CA
President Pervez Musharraf
has painted the world canvas with Pakistan's distinct
green and white flag by his now famous best seller
"In The Line of Fire”, which has a beautiful
green and white cover - the cover of our proud flag.
His highly publicized foreign visit was well planned
and its success is a tribute to Musharraf's leadership
qualities, especially his ability to influence others.
The success of his visit to Cuba, United States,
and United Kingdom is also a tribute to his public
relations team, whose planning and organization
did greatly contribute to the success of the three-week
foreign visit.
Ambassador Mahmud Durrani revealed that there were
" four pivots to Musharrf's US visit: Administration,
Congress, policy influentials, and the Pakistani-American
community".
With the US Administration President Musharrf reviewed
the "components of strategic dialogue"
between the two allies as well as the long-term
bilateral strategic possibilities. The components
of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue are: counter-terrorism,
economic cooperation and investment, science and
technology, and cooperation in the vital field of
education."
Modern-day Americans still remember Ayub Khan. They
remember Benazir Bhutto draped in the Pakistani
flag. She used to wear green shalwar kameez and
a white dopatta. Americans will remember Musharraf
for a long time for his sharp wit, incisive mind,
and immense wisdom to promptly and correctly respond
to difficult provocative questions and cutting remarks.
He made Americans and Pakistani-Americans comfortable
with his wisdom, grasp of regional and world situation
and cool mannerism. His advice to Karzai to understand
the ground realities in Afghanistan and in the region
were well meaning. It is hoped the Afghan President
realizes that the majority Pushtun population cannot
be sidelined and marginalized for long. The fight
against Taliban will turn into a war against the
Pushtoons, if Kabul refuses to comprehend the ground
realities.
President Musharrf's meeting with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh of India in Havana, Cuba, and his
eighteen-day US visit during which he had three
meetings with President George Bush and met President
Karzai along with President Bush, his two dinner
meetings with the US President, one at the White
House dinner, and one at the Pakistani Embassy Residence,
received tremendous publicity. These were televised
repeatedly and reported with detailed comments by
mainstream American television networks including
CNN, NBC, ABC and Comedy Central, and hundreds of
other TV stations. Musharraf got tremendous coverage
in the Indian media as well. Despite India having
fifty lobbyists including twelve lobbying firms,
Manmohan Singh’s visit went unnoticed. But
Musharraf's television appearances and numerous
press conferences, provided him and his country,
an immense amount of publicity and positive ratings.
Paid lobbyist firms, even dozens of
them, could not have achieved what Musharraf did
in three weeks time. His smiling face but firm bearing
and ready responses to very difficult questions,
queries and remarks, left the most accomplished
TV interviewer speechless.
Musharraf's appearances included "60 Minutes"
and "News Hour on
CNN", but it was on the Comedy Show "Daily
Show with John Stewart" which provided Musharraf
with the most challenging TV interview. He became
one of the first leaders of a nation-state to appear
on this popular comedy-satire show. When asked by
Stewart, "If Osama bin Laden and Bush contest
the election for Mayor of Karachi, who in your opinion
will win the election"? Musharraf promptly
and without hesitation retorted, "Both will
lose terribly". Millions of Americans, and
TV viewers the world over laughed spontaneously.
When asked, "Where is Osama bin Laden?"
Musharraf's reply was: "Do you know him? If
you do, let us know, and you can lead and we will
follow." It was a terse remark that was highly
appreciated by global viewers.
It goes to the credit of Musharraf's public relations
team to have
arranged his interviews with the most-watched and
important TV networks. Credit goes to Musharraf
in particular, and to his publisher that his world
famous autobiography "In the Line Of Fire"
was launched during his visit. It became an instantaneous
best-seller. Despite all my efforts I have not been
able to buy a copy from book shops in Los Angeles,
including Barnes and Noble, because the book has
been sold out. Even the local libraries put you
on the waiting list. It is for the first time that
a book authored by a Pakistani has become an immediate
best seller. Of course being Pakistan's head of
state and "not revealing' the contents of the
book while standing on the podium with Bush was
a masterly tactic for the promotion of his 'memoir'.
Even President Bush jokingly mentioned it.
Musharraf has become a world celebrity, by sheer
hard work and ability, and has projected himself
as an outstanding diplomat and a respected world
leader.
His conduct on the world scene has brought respect
and recognition
for Pakistan, despite domestic problems. The agreement
with tribal elders in Waziristan was suspect here
in the US and was mistaken as a deal with the Taliban.
Karazi's negative comments and allegations about
Pakistan "not doing enough" being in cahoots
with the Taliban and al- Qaeda had enraged Musharraf,
who had a face-to-face confrontation with Karzai
in the White House while addressing a joint press
conference. In his TV and press interviews he categorically
stated that the Waziristan Agreement was in Pakistan's
best interests, that Karzai should visualize the
ground realities of Pushtun sensibilities and do
likewise. Karzai unfortunately is acting holier
than the Pope, and is singing the tunes of American
neo-cons and is trying to please India by his rigid
and unfriendly attitude towards Pakistan.
In Pakistan opposition politicians, intellectuals,
his detractors
and newspaper writers were generally critical. They
alleged that Musharraf has revealed state secrets
by incriminating retired ISI officials, and his
remarks about Kargil were not wholly true. Rajesh
Mishra, former chief of India's National Security,
denounced Musharraf's remarks about Kargil being
a Pakistani victory by angrily rebutting that Musharraf
needs to comprehend the meaning of defeat. Musharraf
does acknowledge occupation and subsequently return
of vast areas back to India in Kargil and Dras sectors.
It is not a victory if you are forced to return
everything that you stealthily occupied. I think
there is nothing wrong for a head of state to write
and publish his own autobiography. The fact that
"In the Line of Fire" is a best seller
in Pakistan despite the negative press proves that
people want to read and understand what Musharraf
has to say.
Newspaper comments in India should be of interest
to the Pakistani
reader. Generally the comments of Indian papers
were that President Musharraf overshadowed prime
minister Manmohan Singh on Indian TV news channels,
getting thrice the attention on prime time bulletins.
According to the survey by Media Studies India,
which is widely reported in the US, "Between
Sep 21-28 the week when Musharraf released his memoirs
in New York, six New Delhi-based Hindi news channels
devoted 378 minutes of their prime time bulletins
to the Pakistani President against 114 minutes to
Manmohan Singh. Of the six NDTV India devoted 164
minutes to Musharraf, against just four minutes
to Manmohan Singh. The other TV channels surveyed
were Doordarshan News, Zee TV News, Sahara Samay,
Star News and Aaj Tak. Overall the Doordarshan news
channels devoted 35 minutes to Manmohan Singh against
35 minutes to Musharraf
(Doordarshan is state-owned).
Musharraf's immense popularity in the West, especially
in the US,
UK and in India is amazing. People in the West are
worried that he is sitting on a dangerous chair.
He has survived three attempts on his life. Despite
his worldwide popularity, he is not out of the woods
domestically. He has enhanced Pakistan's prestige
enormously, but the situation in Baluchistan, corruption,
his uniform, poor law and order, dysfunctional democratic
institutions are hurdles and road blocks, which
need to be addressed and overcome. A follow-up strategy
is needed to pacify Balochistan. Pakistan should
capitalize on its improved image in the US by a
strategy for greater economic, trade and investment
interaction with the United States. Indian economy
is growing phenomenally. It is in Pakistan’s
best interests to enhance its economic ties with
India.
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