General Musharraf – Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Here is one more gift to Mushy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/08/business/worldbusiness/08rese.html

I am sorry, but no silk route has thus far opened, nor will it till the Tiger in Pakistan is tamed. That is a stark reality and USA`s reliance on Pakistan a mere expediency. Mussharaf is trying intelligently to make the best out of the worst and he needs the nation behind him.
Khan Sahib delivered the enriched uranium but in the process also blackmailed the country. I feel, the President has been too kind to him. Just to have a feel this is a copy of my commnets on Hoodbhoy`s Article in a US newspaper.
I have followed Hoodbhoy`s pacificm in Pakistan for a very long time. He is indeed an avid PACIFIST and entiltled to his views but ought to also understand the meaning of independence. It ends where the other`s nose begins.
Just when this fiasco had just begun to unravel, I saw Hoodbhoy on a TV show hell bent on convincing that Pakistan as a State and Establishment were knee deep in Proliferation. Well there may be many who may think so but why damage the image of your country in the name of Value Neutrality. His solo in an internationally realist paradigm will neither do good to him nor to the motherland. It would have been more admirable if he had provided guidelines and inputs on how Pakistan should get out of this TWISTER.

I for one feel that the Government of Pakistan by admitting that its program was covert has taken a very bold stand. Declaring that the program is now ouvert means that Pakistan has commited itself to non proliferation rules of the game and hence scrutiny, which in any case was always there.

Perhaps many doomsday psuedos miss the point that Dr. Khan`s sole responsibility was enrichment and not weaponisation. That role was played by an entirely different organisation under the PAEC. Ouvert declaration perhaps also implies that Pakistan has also mastered the PU route and is now self sufficient. There was a big message when the President said that our capability has moved beyond the Minimum Deterrence.

I agree that the case is not closed and there will be tremendous pressure on Pakistan in the days to come. There will be caliberated, covert and coercive attemts to tame the Tiger. We as a nation will have to stand to it and not melt way like Saddam, Iran and Libya. I feel that given that Pakistan demonstrate responsibility and firmness on proliferation, route out of the woods would not be afar.

Dear AhmadZai, on your long treatise on the various heads, here is a a line from a poem written by me.

Mera Raquib merey endher hai
Mera wajood mera dushman hai
Mein apney aap sey jang mein hoon
Meri halat merey watan si hai

I feel the biggest monster is ourselves,preventing the conglomerate from fermenting into a nation. There is too much hate, suspicion and self vulnerability in our assesments. We have to get out of it.

I would list the indicaters as;
1) Socio economic development on a fast track.
2) Political stability that ensures policy consistency and achievement of 1.
3) Dispensation of justice and social equity to the masses, a sense of well being.
4) Gradual erosion of the elites
Once these come, issues like sectarianism, violence, ethnicity and overbearing attitude of some states would wither away. Lets forget about Ummah and Co and just look after ourselves. It would be Highway to heaven.