Mr Musharraf! It has been eight long years, since you took over the reigns of this country and it took you two elections, one referendum and a lot of political wheeling and dealing to reach, where you are standing today. I can still remember the year 1999, when you had your differences with Mian Sahib. At that time, most people thought that a coup d’état was almost impossible, looking at Mian Sahib’s past record and considering the times we were in. But you proved them wrong. You did the unexpected and you continued doing that ever since.
As a conscientious citizen of the 21st century, I have always had a deep affiliation with democratic values and norms and was thus sceptical about your government right from the beginning. However, being an optimist, I have always looked for the silver lining. And so I thought, mistakenly enough, that under your leadership we’ll probably be able to sail through those seas, which have so far been declared unchartered territories and achieve certain milestones which we could not even dream of during the previous decade of political governments. Unlike the political forces, I thought, you would not have any political obligations or vulnerabilities. I started to believe that the dream of Kalabagh Dam would see the light of the day. I thought that the voice of our fellow countrymen from Balochistan would finally get heard and I somehow thought that under your able leadership, we’ll finally make peace with our next door neighbors.
What I got though, was a severe power crisis, a much bleaker situation in Balochistan and even a more terrible state of affairs on our western border. I wonder what held you from looking into these critical issues and settling them once and for all. In your shadow, I saw a new face of accountability, a quest for transparency and a dream of corruption-free Pakistan. I thought that the days of exploitation of masses by the politicians were over and it was time for a massive cleanup. My excitement, as I found out later, was short-lived. To my utter surprise, very soon I witnessed the same politicians rubbing shoulders with you, who were nabbed by your own government, in its early days, on corruption charges. Was accountability a mere rhetoric or the need for political legitimacy was so intense that it motivated you to change your very stance about governance?
With an unprecedented liberal media policy, you emerged as the new godfather of freedom of expression, setting a new example of tolerance and writing a new chapter in the history of the Pakistani media. I witnessed a mushroom growth of new television channels and this new face of media became the hallmark of your government.This could very well have been a jewel in your throne, something that you would always be remembered for. But then came the fatal November 3, wiping off everything that you have ever done on the media front. Earlier this year, I watched your speech at Davos with keen interest and heard your claims about media liberalisation in Pakistan. I wonder, how taking all the channels off air comes under liberalization by any stretch of imagination. But then may be I am not imaginative enough. I can remember what Kahlil
Gibran said:
You delight in laying down laws, / Yet you delight more in breaking them.
Like children playing by the ocean who build sand-towers with / constancy and then destroy them with laughter.
I wonder why you destroyed your very own sand towers. Was it the circumstances? But if the unfavourable circumstances could change your ideology and compel you to undo your own achievements, why didn’t they force you to resign?
Mr Musharraf! You come from an armed forces background and army is indeed the best, if not the only, institution of Pakistan, enjoying great independence. I was sure that coming from such a background you would have great regard for institutions and you would always stand up for their independence. I wonder though, if that was the case, why was the whole judicial structure demolished during your era?
And now, when the political situation has taken a new turn, the masses have voted against you and the new power brokers seem unwilling to accept you, it seems that you are not inclined to go. I can understand that it is difficult for anybody to leave the top slot of the country, but I also expect that you would only stay if it is in our best national interest, as you have always claimed, and not for your own self. While I greatly appreciate your intentions and understand that eight years may be too little a time for you to bring about a visible change, I still cannot comprehend that how exactly would you make a difference now?
Even if you remain at the presidency, the new political order does not seem to have a significant place for you. If you accept to be in a merely ceremonial position, what good can you do, despite all your good wishes? And if that is unacceptable to you, which is highly unlikely as indicated by your repeated statements about your fondness for democracy, what would you exactly do about it? If you can’t make a difference, is this presidency worth your while?
Mr Musharraf! May be its time for you to make way for the new. May be its time for you to welcome a new democratic order. May be its time for you to bid farewell to almost a decade of your absolute unchallenging rule over this country of 160 million people. But before you go, let us thank you for something really worthwhile that you have done for us. Thank you Mr Musharraf, for returning our leaders to us, with a new face and a new promise for national reconciliation. Thank you for producing a new lot of dynamic and tall leaders like Aitzaz. Thank you for waking the civil society of this country and thank you for teaching us the value of an independent judiciary.
[Courtesy: PKPOLITICS.COM]
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