Long Live the King: Musharraf’s Controversial Legacy

I think in India there is lack of gratitude towards the Pak army and ZAB. They have done to Pak what India never could.

Coming to ZAB if he was not so megalomaniac and had genuinely forged a social coalition and not gone in for the disastrous nationalisation he could have f***ed India inside out.

The Pak establishment has always had a dream to plant the crescent flag on the red fort. Indian establishment has no such dream except maybe brasstacks.

Maybe the pakis are more incompetent than us though god knows the kind of jokers we have leading the country are enough to start a chain of circuses.

Sanatani

“In Algeria, the army posited itself in the role of a ‘savior’ by blocking the country’s transition to pluralistic democracy. I’ll never forget what one of the military generals—not half as tipsy under the influence of alcohol as he was inebriated by the arrogance of power—said to me[…]would come to power only ‘over our dead bodies.’�

This is a surprise article from Mr. Ghori. His previous work on Chowk and in Dawn contradicted his experience as a diplomat. Anyway, it is good that finally he is able to figure out that half-baked articles, he churned out about politicians while neglecting to discuss the Army Generals, is not hip anymore in Pakistan. In Pakistan, no political analysis is complete or accurate without discussing the army pov and its influence over the process. As we see from the above, Mr. Ghori has come up with the right and appropriate citations to support his analysis.

Defense establishments in every country are part of the ruling alliances and every government democratic or autocratic seeks their input in different policy matters. In a democratic state, they are mostly limited to advice. However, in many countries where the democratic institutions are weak or still in infancy, army Generals switch to the king maker role or take over the power themselves. Once a country becomes a prey to these marauding, conceited, and drunk with power Generals, it is next to impossible to get out of their clutches. In every autocratically ruled country, some army Generals call the shots. Even the ideological states like China and the former Soviet Union fell in to the security establishments’ traps due to some spiced up outside pressures.

The SU fell when 80% of its economy turned defense oriented. China’s defense expenditure is climbing as the market liberalization is gaining strength. The defense establishments become potent by exaggerating and overstating foreign threats. In the end, armies and Generals turn against their own populace and governments. The coup attempt by the Soviet Army when the Communist Party rule was disintegrating in Russia is a relatable instance. In China, Israel, and the US, the army’s role in governance is visible. Russia, it seems is back in the hands of the security establishment.

“The current chief of army staff, General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani […]However, he’s not above the dictates of that military culture which thrives on its own primal sense of superiority in the overall scheme of things in Pakistan.�

Very true and there is no need for the sycophantic lead up that Gen. Kiyani perhaps is different from other Generals, because he is not. He will do everything possible to maintain the army control of the government and the state in Pakistan. He would resist every attempt by the civilians to extract powers and would not let any opportunity go by to humiliate the civilian politicians and the Parliament. Since the civilian politicians are weak and there are no democratic institutions in Pakistan to speak of, he will even attempt to encroach on powers that usually are not under the army sphere of influence.

“In simple words, General Kiyani and his cohorts, were telling the politicians that the buck stops at GHQ, and the military’s culture—honed and sharpened over the past half century—of lording over politics is well and truly alive and kicking. The GHQ seems to be rubbing salt into the wounds of the civilian government by standing guard at Musharraf’s security, in the Army House, for as long as he remains in Pakistan after standing down. There’s nothing that the political coalition could do about it.�

Haughty words are not needed to express the truth. Musharraf will stay in the country as long as the army can keep him. The politicians again will have to build pressure as they did for impeaching him. The Judges issue placed on the back burner because the army would not allow any cases against its former COAS to proceed in the civil courts and this is after the army had already gained the right to try civilians in the military courts for Court Martials.

Pakistan has a long struggle ahead to wrest the state from these shameless and slavish Generals. They bully the politicians and the people of Pakistan but bow before their foreign masters for loose change.

I remember reading somewhere, a while back, that a US diplomat once commented that the price of the Pakistan army officers oscillates between a bottle of scotch and an invitation to visit the US.

I cant think of a single muslim nation where true democracy prevails.WHY? whether turkey or malaysia or indonesia or pakistan n what to say of ME monarchies its shameful

“I’ll never forget what one of the military generals—not half as tipsy under the influence of alcohol as he was inebriated by the arrogance of power—said..�

Dear Mr. Ambassador, the above statement of yours is very unbecoming of a career diplomat, even though you mentioned it only in passing. I wonder what the good General told his friends about you. The rest of it is just your opinion.

hamidm2 you sound like a farsiban afghani muhajir who got paki ID card by bribing nadra?

.... colonel shahid azim zindabad !

People should know that if Mushy took U turn because of one phone call from Washington, then so did the politicians who made mushy go free at the bidding of US and Saudia. And as I said 'lanat hay sab per'.....

Author, You overlooked one important aspect of it all, and that is that the politicians still can drag the general in courts. But they will not and the reason is because zardari is in the lap of Washington and Nawaz Shareef is playing waiter boy to the most chootya person in the world know as 'khadmain haramain shareefain' of saudia. Why don't they show guts and hold mushy accountable?????

The fact of the matter is that we are still not independent thanks to all the leadership (military as well as civilian), who follow the dictates of US and saudia instead of what people of pakistan want...... lanat say sab per...

Mr. Ghori

In all your articles that I had the misfortune to read, there is one thing in common, you come across as a bitter, unhappy person and it would not be unfair to say a cry baby.