Has Musharraf just sealed his own coffin?
Or purchased his own one-way ticket out of the country?
I am really disappointed in this man. And also in Pakistanis. Musharraf squandered his big opportunity to finally turn Pakistan into a modern democratic nation, and Pakistanis squandered away their chance to decide the direction their country should take.
Musharraf, after he got rid of Navaz Sharif in a coup, had a bit of goodwill for some time. Some thought he was a hero – appealed to their macho instincts. Others thought him a great guy for the freedom he gave the media.
And then the problem started. He was forced to align with the US – and despite all the benefits he got from that, could not convince his country that it was a good idea. His intelligences services never came under his control completely. He could not abandon, nor support, the Kashmiri militants. He could not control the media nor the judiciary. Big shit indeed he was in.
And what about the country? For some, he was the middle-class messiah, scourge of the fundamentalists. For others, he was the enemy of Islam and friend of US. Many others just thought he was a pain and just wanted to get rid of him. The people who wanted democracy and modernity wanted to get rid of him towards the last year or so, but they had no idea how it would all hang together if he was not on the scene. So everyone focused on the little issues – make Musiarraf’s life miserable so he is under pressure, ask him to get rid of Lal Masjid Mullas, then ask him to uphold Islam, ask him to get rid of the Americans, bring Bhutto back, hold elections, anything anyone could think about.
Fact is, Pakistan is a divided country in what it stands for – people have not made up their minds on what they want. Some want a certain objective achieved, and nothing but that.No one – neither Musharraf, Bhutto, Sharif or the Supreme Court of Pakistan – has a roadmap for the future of the country.
And then this is what you get.
The only option for Musharraf was to somehow bring everyone together. The toughest task ever. But his basic confrontational nature – and the confrontational nature of most of the participants in the Pakistan political theatre – killed off that idea before it could ever take wing.
Now what? This is not even an Emergency but martial law. Now the man would bring the country together?
The only way out is a flight out of the country. Better start planning that soon, Musharraf.
