Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #90 harish_hyd

If Pakistan stops treating Kashmir as an issue, what signal would that send to the Jihadis active in India? Think about it.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: stuka (various posts)

Stuka, my response to your pet theory (i.e. Pak Army created Hindu hegemony myth) are just two simple questions:

1. Did Indian Army invade Kashmir in January 1948 or not?
2. Did India invade East Pakistan in Dec 1971 or not?

You are either confused about historical events, or the definition of "hegemony".


re: HP

I agree we are deviating from the topic i.e. Musharraf and his power games. The media is a double edged sword. It exposes Army generals when they try to sack judges they don't like. But it also exposes Hindu bigots who seek to distort history & legitimize the actions of Indian Army.

The issue in Pakistan today, is Musharraf's dual office. If he can doff his uniform, most Pakistanis will gladly accept him as president and the economy will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Civil society in Pakistan is smart enough to understand the crucial role of Pakistan Army in nation building and national security. But society wants the army to assist civilian leadership, not replace it. Musharraf's uniform remains the only obstacle to that goal.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #58

Why doesn't Hindu Nepal face the same jihad that India does?
Hint: Nepali sena didn't colonize other people like the Bharati sena colonized Kashmiris and Naxalites.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: HP

"Why do you think a nuke powered India could possibly invoke a Hindu hegemony in the area?"

Power leads to arrogance and greed, my friend. That's politics 101. In international relations, that means an attempt to appropriate the resources (territory, water, fossil fuels, etc) of your neighbours and/or dictate their foreign & trade policies.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #56 HP

What makes you think Indian interference began in 1971? The crisis began much earlier with Mujib's Six Point agenda (which were drafted by Indira Gandhi). Which country can pull together with two currencies and state banks??

Why couldn't Mujib show some statesmanship and compromise on a few of his impossible demands after West Pakistani politicians agreed to most of them anyway???

India's role in precipitating the crisis and encouraging Mujib to take an unreasonably rigid stance is well documented. India could do that in 1971 because Pakistan Army did not have enough cantontments in East Pakistan and most of its airforce was based in West Pakistan.

The 1971 episode further elaborates the fact that only a balance of power preserves peace.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #53 HP

"Hindu hegemony is a perception"

I guess invasion of Hyderabad & Kashmir, three wars with Pakistan and introducing nuclear weapons into non-nuclear south asia must be perceptions too :) Remember India has gone to war with China once, but thrice with Pakistan. If this is not a larger neighbor attempting to impose its will on the smaller, I believe we are talking on totally different planes of logic.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #40 shishapa

We don't need to brainwash anyone. Indian Army has done a commendable job of turning thousands of Kashmiris, Sikhs and Naxalites into militants. And where they have failed, politicians like Narendra Modi have stepped in.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #HP

"So the question of Hindu hegemony in Pakistan is just a fabrication created by the army"

That's classic Indian BS, my friend. Did the army also fabricated an Indian invasion in Dec 1971 to justify its political ambitions? What about India's nuclear testing and subsequent threats to Pakistan? That must have been engineered by the generals too, right?

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #37 HP

"Hindu hegemony...has never been an issue in Pakistan"

Please read my post again. I never said Hindu hegemony is an "issue" in Pakistan. A strong Pak Army has ensured that external aggression from India does not become an issue for the common Pakistani.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #36

"Your point of people loving the Army and not the Army rule, looking at current happenings in pakistan, does not seem to reflect this"

Which current happenings in your mind represent a general hatred toward the Army???

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #36 maffrejal

"Is Army acting on Hindu hegimony only? so people in NWFP, Wariztan are Hindu's"

There is fighting in Waziristan (and not all of NWFP). And these fighters don't threaten Pakistan's national security like India's Hindu army does. They aren't concerned about military rule either. All they want is an end to US campaign in Afghanistan.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #5 HP

The problem with your criticism is that it is aimed at the Army as an institution (which is one of the finest in Pakistan) instead of the person of Musharraf. Not only is the army a bulwark against Hindu hegemony in South Asia, it also provides disaster relief and stability. The people of Pakistan hate army rule, not the army.

Musharraf the Out-smarter re: #2 shishapa

"When is he going to outsmart Indians and snatch
Kashmir from them?"

Indians are worse off with Kashmir, than without it because that keeps jihad going longer and inside India proper.

Musharraf the Out-smarter Correction:
Line 1 of post #29 should read:

"...it is too premature to say who outsmarted whom...

Musharraf the Out-smarter Mr. Jafri, it is true premature to say who outsmarted whom. Remember, Mushy's goal is to retain COAS and President post for another 5 yrs.

Tactical victories such as dividing BB & Nawaz, outsmarting Fazlur Rehman or raising the Taliban bogey will not prevent Musharraf's strategic defeat in securing the dual office. And here is why:

a) Mush alienated his liberal power base by dismissing the CJ. The subsequent attacks on print & TV media damaged his reformist image irrevocably.

b) The May 12 attacks have exposed Mush as an MQM patron who believes in Muhajir rule over Pakistan. His opponents have extracted maximum political mileage from the Karachi carnage and Mushy's refusal to conduct a judicial inquiry.

c) Barely a month after CJ's reinstatement, the Supreme Court has delivered lethal blows to Mush. New electoral lists, Nawaz's right to return, producing missing persons in courts, etc are just the beginning. Remember Iftikhar Chauhdry will remain CJ for next 7 years.

d) Encouraged by Supreme Court decision in Nawaz's petition, Benazir has announced her return in October. Her party enjoys more street power and unlike Nawaz she didn't do any exile deals. Benazir's presence in Pakistan will cause major problems for PML(Q) and PPP forward bloc.

If you consider these developments with a calm mind, it is obvious that Mush will be unable to rig the General Elections even if he manages to keep the dual office. He will then be faced with a hostile parliament that will certainly impeach him. Then tactical victories such as dividing BB/Nawaz, outsmarting mullas will not matter.

Musharraf's best bet is take off his uniform, and appoint a loyal army chief in October. That way he can keep Mullas and benazir on his side. Right now, he is digging himself into a ditch.

Remembering the Presidential Election of 1965 re: HP #19

{{What is happening in the Tribal areas is beyond any political and diplomatic maneuvering.}}

Not exactly. Two mistakes were made by the army:

1- Sending a convoy of 15 vehicles without air cover.
2- Failure to maintain radio contact with the convoy

But the situation can still be salvaged by keeping a cool head. The jirga has convinced Baitullah Mehsud to release 6 soldiers. But Baitullah Mehsud knows he is negotiating from a position of strength (thanks to the carelessness of Pakistani troops). His terms should be met to secure the release of 240 soldiers.

Once the soldiers are safe, Baitullah Mehsud has no leverage over the govt. He can then be assassinated in a targeted strike (or the govt can squeeze him in other ways).

We must remember that the enemy is just a few hundred Pakistani Taliban, not every Waziristani or Mehsud tribesman. (The commanding officer who sent 240 troops without air cover was no friend either).