Musharraf in politics
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addresses members of Britain's Pakistani community at the New Bingley Hall, in Birmingham in central England October 2, 2010. Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said on Friday he will return to lead a new political party to tackle corruption, revive the sluggish economy and step up the fight against militants. - Photo by Reuters.
Pervez Musharraf did not ‘enter’ politics on Friday in London; he has been in politics in Pakistan since the day he and his brother generals seized power and overthrew an elected government. His renewed political ambition to seek power through the electoral process merely constitutes the continuation of a political career that began with the ‘hijacking from ground’ drama on the evening of Oct 12, 1999.
In 2002 he went through the charade of a referendum, which he won and in which he — like Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq — was the sole candidate. Again, while still in the army chief’s uniform, the commando general was authorised by the Supreme Court of the day to contest a presidential election, to which a retired SC justice lent credibility and sanctity by taking part. Even though he often proved himself to be good at political manoeuvring, the mistakes Gen Musharraf made were stupefying. That he managed to survive as a strongman for nearly eight years was a tribute less to his political skills and more to the power that flowed from the army chief’s baton. He was supported by some seasoned and habitual turncoats who helped him form the ‘king’s party’ which enabled him to have parliament enact constitutional amendments that whitewashed his crimes.
The former president is good at apologising, as he did after the referendum hoax, and on Friday he apologised again, saying men made mistakes. It will now be interesting to see whether his ‘enlightened moderation’ is able to make an impact on the nation’s political scene without the benefit of what he used to call his ‘second skin’. After all he is not the first retired general to enter the dangerous, often fatal waters of Pakistani politics. Gen Musharraf has no constituency, even in urban Sindh, though undoubtedly he has a sprinkling of support all over. He has some sworn enemies, but he also has supporters in the business class, which benefited from the economic boom until the 2005 earthquake. Ultimately, let us have faith in the people of Pakistan. As history shows, they have always shown collective wisdom while voting.
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