'
General Pervez Musharraf' (
Urdu: 'پرويز مشرف') (born
August 11 1943) is the
President of Pakistan, the
Chief of Army Staff of the
Pakistan Army and had become the leader of the country in wake of a
coup. He took power on
October 12,
1999, ousting
Nawaz Sharif, the elected
Prime Minister, thereby assuming the title of Chief Executive. Later on, he became the
President of Pakistan.
Early life
Pervez Musharraf is the second of three sons. He was born in Nahr wali Haveli
Daryaganj in
Delhi,
British India on August 11, 1943
[1]. After the
Partition of India, Musharraf along with his parents immigrated to Pakistan and chose to settle in
Karachi.
He comes from a lower middle class family; his father, Syed Musharrafuddin, worked for the foreign ministry as a clerk in the Pakistan Embassy in
Turkey.His duties have included diplomatic signal receiving as well during his career . He spent his early years in
Ankara,
Turkey, from
1949 to
1956 and speaks fluent
Turkish as well as being a fan of Istanbul's
Beşiktaş JK. Musharraf is married to
Begum Sehba, who is from
Okara; they have one son,
Bilal Musharraf who is a graduate student at Stanford University and a daughter Ayla Raza who works as an architect in Karachi, and have four grandchildren, two from each child.
Education
Musharraf attended
Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, graduating in 1958 before going on to attend
Forman Christian College in
Lahore. For seven years his family lived in
Turkey as his father worked as a clerk in the Pakistan Embassy in
Ankara. He reveals in his memoirs that he was in a critical condition after falling from a
mango tree as a teenager, and he treats this as his first direct experience with death.
Military career
In 1961, he entered the
Pakistan Military Academy at
Kakul, graduated 11th in his class and was commissioned in 1964 in the Artillery
Regiment (16(SP) Self Propelled artillery unit now based in Bahawalpur,PK). Later he joined Special Services Group and then was posted to Field Artillery Regiments. A graduate of the
Staff College,
Quetta, and the
National Defence College,
Rawalpindi, Musharraf is also a graduate of the
Royal College of Defence Studies of the
United Kingdom. In 1965, Musharraf reveals in his
memoirs that he was charged with taking
unauthorized leave and was about to be
court-martialed for it, but was let off due to the war with India.
[2]
Indo-Pakistani War
Musharraf participated in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as the 2nd
Lieutenant in the 16 (SP) Field Artillery Regiment. His regiment saw action as part of the First Armoured Division’s offensive in the
Khemkaran sector, where a major offensive was planned against the Indian Army.
2 Despite possessing a quantitative advantage and significant superiority in armor,
[3] the 1st armoured division (labelled "pride of the Pakistan Army") suffered a crushing defeat and Khemkaran became known as a graveyard of Pakistan tanks.
[4]. By all accounts the vital advance failed at the
Battle of Asal Uttar, as Pakistan lost a golden opportunity to make major strategic gains, and was a turning point in the war.
[5] His regiment was later moved to the Lahore front which was seriously threatened by the Indian Army. Later on it was sent to take part in the major battles around Chawinda.
Later, in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 he served as a
Company Commander in the
SSG Commando
Battalion. Originally scheduled to be flown to
East Pakistan along with other SSG troops, he was redeployed in Punjab as war broke out and all flights over India were cancelled. He later admitted that he "broke down and wept"
2 when he heard the "disgusting" news of Pakistan's unconditional surrender to India.
[6] Later he commanded Regiments of Artillery, there after an
Artillery Brigade and then went on to command an
Infantry Division. In September 1987, he was instrumental in giving orders to a newly formed SSG at Khapalu base (Kashmir), which launched an unsuccessful assault to capture the Indian held posts of
Bilafond La in
Siachen Glacier.
[7]
On promotion to the rank of Major General on
January 15,
1991, he was assigned the command of an Infantry Division. Later, on promotion to Lieutenant General on
October 21,
1995 he took over command of 1 Corps,the elite strike Corps. In 1998, following the resignation of General Jehangir Karamat, he was personally promoted over other senior officers by Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, as an obedient General and took over as the Army Chief of Staff.
Role in Kargil Conflict
Main articles: Kargil War
From May to July 1999, Pakistan and India were involved in the
Kargil Conflict, an armed conflict between the two countries in the Kargil district of
Kashmir. It was planned and executed during General Musharraf's term as the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Sharif. The conflict sparked tensions between civic and military branches of government and, ultimately triggered P.M. Sharif's decision to dismiss General Musharraf.
Ex-
CENTCOM Commander
Anthony Zinni, and P.M. Sharif, have stated that Musharraf requested that the Prime Minister withdraw Pakistani troops from Kashmir.
[8] Sharif has claimed that Musharraf was solely responsible for the Kargil attacks.
[9] On the other hand, Musharraf claims that the decision was made by Sharif, who was under United States pressure. However, his role in planning the Kargil attacks has been universally criticized by several independent reports for showing "a shocking lack of strategy."
[10]
Pakistani regular army officers reported serious logistic problems in Kargil operation as they went deeper into Indian held Kashmir . Starvation of soldiers was reported .Casualties on both sides had been particularly heavy in Kargil. It is speculated that decision of then PM Nawaz Sharif to reprimand the corp commanders who were believed to have shown badly was communicated to Musharaf .But Musharaf sided with those corp commanders and saw an opportunity for a take-over. Musharaf had good relations with Jahangir Karamat from whom he took over the command, it was soon that after coup, of the first ones to be appointed as ministers were Shaukat Aziz now PM who volunteered to improve economy and journalists like Maleeha Lodhi who was close to Jahangir Karamat . Western Banks came to rescheduling Pakistani loans briskly which was suffering from sanctions post Atomic Test.
Presidency (2001 - September 10, 2007)
Military Coup d'état
Main articles: 1999 Pakistani coup d'état
Musharraf became ''
de facto''
Head of Government (using the title ''Chief Executive'' and assuming extensive powers) of
Pakistan following a bloodless
coup d'état on
12 October 1999. That day, the constitutional Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif attempted to dismiss Musharraf and install
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director Khwaja Ziauddin in his place. Musharraf, who was out of the country, boarded a commercial airliner to return to Pakistan. Senior Army Generals refused to accept Musharraf's dismissal, which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Sharif ordered the Karachi airport closed to prevent the landing of the airliner, which then circled the skies over Karachi. In the coup, the Generals ousted Sharif's administration and took over the airport. The plane landed, allegedly with only a few minutes of fuel to spare, and Musharraf assumed control of the government. Sharif was put under house arrest and later exiled. He and other leaders have subsequently been prevented from entering Pakistan. Reportedly, the disagreement between Musharraf and Sharif centred around the Prime Minister's desire to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with India in the
Kashmir region.
[11]
The existing
President of Pakistan,
Rafiq Tarar, remained in office until June 2001. Musharraf formally appointed himself President on
June 20,
2001, just days before his scheduled visit to
Agra for talks with India.
Presidential elections
Shortly after Musharraf's takeover, several people filed court petitions challenging his assumption of power. However he got
The Oath of Judges Order 2000 issued. It required the judges to take a fresh oath of office swearing allegiance to military rule. Judges must swear that they will make no decisions against the military rule. Many judges refused and resigned in protest. Subsequently on
May 12,
2000, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, now filled with judges who were supportive of the General and who had taken the oath not to make any decisions against the Military Junta, ordered Musharraf to hold general elections by
October 12,
2002. In an attempt to legitimize his presidency and assure its continuance after the approaching restoration of democracy, he held a
referendum on
April 30, 2002 to extend his presidential term to five years after the October elections. However, the referendum was
boycotted by the majority of Pakistani political groupings, which later complained that the elections were heavily
rigged, and
voter turnout was 30% or below by most estimates. A few weeks later, Musharraf went on TV and apologized to the nation for "irregularities" in the referendum.
General elections were held in October 2002 and a
plurality of the seats in the
Parliament was won by the
PML-Q, a pro-Musharraf party. However, parties opposed to Musharraf effectively paralysed the
National Assembly for over a year.
The deadlock ended in December 2003, when Musharraf made a deal with the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal party, a six-member coalition of Islamic parties, agreeing to leave the army by
December 31,
2004. He subsequently refused to keep his promise. With that party's support, pro-Musharraf legislators were able to muster the two-thirds
supermajority required to pass the
Seventeenth Amendment, which retroactively legalized Musharraf's 1999 coup and many of his decrees.
In an interview in March 2007, Musharraf said that he intends to stay in the office for another five years. The leader of the pro-Musharraf party has also said that Musharraf would be re-elected from the current assemblies and not after the 2007 elections.
[12]
[13]
Electoral College vote
In a
vote of confidence on
January 1, 2004, Musharraf won 658 out of 1,170 votes in the
Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the
Constitution of Pakistan, was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.
Assassination attempts
On
December 14,
2003, General Musharraf survived an
assassination attempt when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly-guarded
convoy crossed a bridge in
Rawalpindi. Musharraf was apparently saved by a jamming device in his limousine that prevented the remote controlled explosives from blowing up the bridge as his convoy passed over it. It was the third such attempt during his four-year rule. Eleven days later, on
December 25, 2003, two
suicide bombers tried to assassinate General Musharraf, but their
car bombs failed to kill the president; 16 others nearby died instead
[14]. Musharraf escaped with only a cracked windscreen on his car. Militant
Amjad Farooqi was apparently suspected of being the mastermind behind these attempts, and was killed by Pakistani forces in 2004 after an extensive manhunt. On July 6, 2007, there was another attempted assassination, when an unknown group fired an anti-aircraft gun at Musharraf's plane as it took off from a runway in Rawalpindi.
[15] 39 people were arrested, detained and put at an undisclosed location by a joint team of Punjab Police and Pakistan Intelligence Agencies.
[16]
Nothing has been heard in Newspapers about this attempt since the above but which according to papers could have been a serious attempt had a heavier weapon been fired and not just simple rifle .This attack coincided with the Hafsa /Red Mosque Girl Madrassa operation. Nevertheless no serious Assassination attempt has occurred since alqaeeda attack, giving an opportunity to Afghanistan's Karzai to talk of softness on militants .This may have been due to his extreme security on ground and from air when he is on the move since 2004 .
Domestic issues
Elections during Musharraf's administration
On
12 May 2000, the
Supreme Court ordered Musharraf to hold national elections by
12 October 2002; elections for local governments took place in 2001. Elections for the national and provincial legislatures were held in October 2002, with no party winning a majority. In November 2002, Musharraf handed over certain powers to the newly elected
Parliament. The
National Assembly elected
Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as
Prime Minister of Pakistan, who in turn appointed his own cabinet.
On
January 1,
2004 Musharraf won a
confidence vote in the
Electoral College of Pakistan, consisting of both houses of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies which are dominated by the landed elite of the country, most of whom have been given governmental posts under Musharraf. Musharraf received 658 out of 1170 votes, a 56% majority, but many opposition and
Islamic members of parliament walked out to protest the vote. As a result of this vote, according to Article 41(8) of the
Constitution of Pakistan, Musharraf was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President. His term now extends to 2007.
Prime Minister
Jamali resigned on
26 June 2004, after losing the support of party, the
PML-Q. His resignation was at least partly due to his public differences with the party chairman
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and was rumoured to have happened at the command of General Pervez Musharraf, although neither man has confirmed this. Jamali had been appointed with the support of Musharraf's and the pro-Musharraf PML(Q). Most PML(Q) parliamentarians formerly belonged to the
Pakistan Muslim League party led by Nawaz Sharif, and most ministers of the cabinet were formerly senior members of other parties, joining the PML(Q) after the elections upon being offered powerful offices. It is believed that Musharraf replaced Jamali due to his poor performance and in his place Musharraf nominated
Shaukat Aziz, the minister for finance and a former employuee of
Citibank[17] and head of ''Citibank Private Banking'' as the new prime minister. The talk of Jamali leaving were around days before Jamali went but it was denied as rumour by politicians and even Jamali himself. Musharraf choose Shaukat Aziz due to his successful measures in revitalizing Pakistan's economy as the Finance Minister. The new government is mostly supportive of Musharraf, who remains the President and Head of State in the new government. Musharraf continues to be the active executive of Pakistan, especially in foreign affairs. Although whether he stays the president after he gives up the post of Chief of Army staff is still to be seen.
Dual-office controversy
A pro-Musharraf party, the
PML-Q, won a plurality in the elections of October 2002, and formed a majority coalition with independents and allies such as the
MQM. Nevertheless, the opposition parties effectively deadlocked the National Assembly, refusing to accept the legitimacy of Musharraf's authority. In December 2003, as part of a compromise with the main Islamist opposition group, the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of Islamic parties, General Musharraf said he would step down as Army Chief by
January 1,
2005. In return, the MMA agreed to support a constitutional amendment that would retroactively legalize Musharraf's coup, and restore some formal
checks and balances to Pakistan's system of government. In late 2004, Musharraf went back on his agreement with the MMA and pro-Musharraf legislators in the
Parliament passed a bill allowing Musharraf to keep both offices.
Economy
At the time Musharraf took over the government, Pakistan was regarded as a failed state by many international experts, as it was close to bankrupt. Total foreign exchange reserves were less than one month's import. Investor confidence was at an all-time low.
The newly appointed Shaukat Aziz was able to get Debt Rescheduling , bit real economic growth started post 9/11 when on one hand Hundi manner of Money transfer was replaced by Regular Remittances from diaspora and restriction on Muslims lead to net influx of dollars not efflux . The total capitalistic attitude of this government attracted Mobile Phone companies and Lending Banks . Basic raw materials and industrial sector suffered but overall economy grew in several sectors. Automobile, Steel and Oil and gas sectors have earned considerably under new PM. The privatization of Banks at low returns as Giant Habib Bank to fringe religo-fiancial groups did raise eyebrows like the attempt to sell Steel Mill cheaply .
The economic reforms by the Musharraf government totally reversed the situation; now the economy is one of the fastest growing
economies in Asia. Pakistan foreign exchange reserves now exceed $15 billion, as against less than $1 billion when he took office. The foreign investment in Pakistan in the first 9 months of the 2006-2007 financial year have exceeded $5.0 billion. Per capita income of Pakistan in current dollars has more than doubled in the last 7 years and expected to exceed $1000 by 2008.
But on the other hand, this government has setup new records, of accepting national as well as international loans.
The country's economic growth is now fuelled by consumption and export-based growth strategy, and is based on the core-periphery model, focusing on large cities to generate spill over effects in their surrounding areas. In the beginning an expansionary policy was implemented and construction was boosted to support other industries. Doing business is much easier than previous governments and the economy is one of the, if not the most,
liberal in the region. To fuel economic growth, a strategy to reverse
brain drain was initiated, and the percentage of
GDP spent on education was doubled. Investor confidence was built by officials making world tours and meeting business people around the world. The rate of
privatisation was also increased.
Silent progressive revolution in Pakistan is building up as the economy is booming, jobs are being created, trillions of rupees are being spent on huge projects like
Gwadar port. Gwadar port is expected to become transit point for middle eastern oil to
China, and more importantly, for transportation of goods from western China to the rest of the world, effectively making Gwadar China's western sea
port. Gwadar is also expected to become a port city that would serve Central Asian countries for their international trade with outside world, including their export of oil and gas.
Corruption
When Musharraf came to power, he claimed that the rampant corruption in the government bureaucracy would be cleaned up.
[18]. However, although Musharraf stated that a crackdown on corruption would be initiated, many neutral analysts have noted that, even years into his administration, his regime is letting the corrupt go free.
18.
Critics of his administration point to the fact that Pakistan, which was placed at 79 in the ranking of corruption-free countries five years back
[19] is now ranked at 142
[20], indicating that, according to the Transparency International's list, Pakistan is now one of the most corrupt nations in the world. However a sizeable number of educated individuals are of the view that the high levels of corruption existing previously are gradually subsiding due to rapid economic growth, better renumeration packages for government employees, free press/media and the massive privatization of services sector.
According to a survey by
Transparency International, Pakistani public opinion perceives Musharraf's regime as more corrupt than the previous democratic governments led by
Benazir Bhutto and Mr. Sharif.
[21][22] According to a combined poll done by Dawn News, Indian Express and CNN-IBN, a majority believe that corruption during this administration has increased.
[23] [24] An
Asian Devlopment Bank report on the state of the country during the 60th year of Independence describes it as a country with "poor governance, endemic corruption and social indicators that are among the worst in Asia".
[25]
There have also been allegations that corrupt
servicemen aren't being prosecuted because of the
junta's clout.
[26] Pakistani media too have alleged that individual corruption of the previous government was replaced by institutionalised corruption of the Pakistan Army, awarding land deeds and a life of luxury to its officers.
[27].
Suspension and reinstatement of Chief Justice Chaudhry
On March 9, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf suspended the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. In an interview about the matter given to
Geo TV, Musharraf stated that Chaudhry himself wished to meet with him and Musharraf then presented him with evidence related to charges made against Chaudhry for abuse of office.
[28] Other sources maintain that Chaudhry was summoned by the General at his Army residence in Rawalpindi and asked to explain his position on a list of charges brought against him from several quarters.
[29] Chaudhry was demanded to resign, but he refused and was detained. While this was not confirmed by the Affidavit presented by him in Supreme Court, While affidavits by other people in same case has said that it was not true and he (Chief Justice) has asked to meet the President and was not asked to resign. Meanwhile, another senior judge, Justice
Javaid Iqbal, was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Musharraf's moves sparked protests among Pakistani lawyers. On 12 March 2007, lawyers across Pakistan began boycotting all court procedures in protest against the suspension. In the capital Islamabad, and in other cities such as Lahore, Karachi and Quetta, hundreds of lawyers dressed in black suits attended rallies, condemning the suspension as unconstitutional. More than twenty lawyers were injured in clashes with police during the demonstrations in Lahore. On 16 March, demonstrations became more widespread, and included protesters outside the legal community. Slowly the expressions of support for the ousted Chief Justice gathered momentum and by May, protesters and opposition parties took out huge rallies against Musharraf and his tenure as army chief was also challenged in the courts.
[30][31]
Rallies held by the MQM and other political parties left more than 40 people dead in firefights in the streets of Karachi, and the offices of AAJ TV were caught in the crossfire and sustained damage. Opposition parties have accused the government and Rangers of not doing enough to stop the violence.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on 20 July reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. It also dismissed misconduct charges that Musharraf filed against him.
[32]
[33]
The Loss of supreme court as an ally of Musharaf regime has been a serious debacle as Pakistanis take their supreme court decisions quite seriously . Musharaf government till now has not given up the idea of bringing a new L.F.O (Legal framework order) and ask for fresh oaths from judges as it did before . Severe resistance from now independent media and Lawyers can occur if that happens .
Lal Masjid and its Aftermath
The standoff between the Pakistani government and the clerics of the
Lal Masjid in Islamabad finally erupted into full scale violence on the morning of 8th July 2007 when the official government delegation led by
Shujaat Hussain, declared that the negotiations with the militants holed up in the mosque have reached an agreement. General
Pervez Musharraf refused to accept the mutual agreement, and drafted a new proposal of agreement, and gave the militants half an hour to accept the agreement.
In addition to militants, there were several hundred students, many of who were young girls, whom the Pakistan claims were being used as human shields
[34].
After the negotiations failed the troops were given the go ahead to storm the complex. Codenamed ‘
Operation Silence’ the objective was to capture or kill the militants if they resisted - as well as rescuing all the students kept as hostages.
The Lal Masjid issue had put President Musharraf in a tough spot. The battle lines had clearly been drawn and reflected the social strife that plagues Pakistani society today - the conflict between secular and fundamental forces in Pakistan. Many in Pakistan see this incident in Islamabad as indicative of the greater struggle that Pakistani society has recently been witnessing.
President Musharraf had been criticised for some for his inaction against the Lal Masjid, many observers believe the final straw may have been the abduction of seven Chinese nationals
Q&A: Pakistan mosque siege - The Guardian.
Action against the Lal Masjid had become unavoidable for Musharraf as they had been directly challenging his authority in the capital of Pakistan.
There is an ongoing Supreme court inquiry going on slowly about Red Mosque . Loss of life was considerable and truth as to what happened, few dozens or hundreds died and what was used in operation against students and why and were the students seriously armed all remains largely unknown .Hafsa was the largest female Quran Madrassa in Pakistan .This use of force led to permanent rupture between religious community and government and was welcomed by Benazir Bhutto.The in charge corp commander of that operation is one of the generals from which the next Army chief of Pakistan has to be decided upon. Some claim that up to 1500 students mostly young girl students were victims of incendiary bombs, this claim is supported by victims arms and body parts dumped and found by media near ravines.
Imposing Emergency in Pakistan
On
August 8,
2007 a rumour spread across Pakistan that a state of
emergency was going to be enforced across the country. The rumour was picked by the electronic media. Government Ministers confirmed that the option of enforcing emergency was being considered due to “internal and external threats” that the country was facing.
[35] Prompted by the news reports,
Condoleezza Rice made a 17-minute telephone call to Musharraf. A senior western diplomat noted that it is likely that Ms Rice persuaded the general to not impose such an emergency.
[36].
On 9th August-2007 General Musharraf confirmed that he would not be imposing emergency in Pakistan.
[37] This was followed by a clarification from the president of
United States that the imposition of emergency in Pakistan was not a reality.
[38] Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, President of
Pakistan Muslim League (PML) admitted that he had suggested the imposition of
“partial emergency” in the country. He also said that the government is still considering the imposition of emergency.
[39]
However, the
Karachi Stock Exchange fell after the rumour spread that the government is imposing emergency in Pakistan. The Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index fell 382.61, or 2.8 percent, to close at 13,181.94, the largest fluctuation among markets included in global benchmarks.
[40]
Meeting with Benazir Bhutto
Also on August 8,
Benazir Bhutto spoke about her
secret meeting with Musharraf on July 27, in an interview on the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Resignation of Army Leadership
The
Associated Press reported on August 29 that Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief.
Benazir Bhutto who vowed to return to her country “''very soon''” announced that she will discuss details of her return on 14 September even if there had been deal with Gen. Pervez Musharraf who is stepping down as army chief but will seek a new term as president.
Nawaz Sharif will return to challenge Gen. Musharraf.
[41]
Return of Shariff Brothers
On September 7, 2007,
judge Shabbir Hussain Chatha ordered
police to
arrest Shahbaz Sharif, brother of
Nawaz Sharif and produce him before the
court, after the
hearing in
Lahore. The court ruled that "''
Shahbaz Sharif should be arrested (at) whichever airport he lands at''." Nawaz Sharif too faces
detention on the pair's planned return from
exile to
Pakistan on September 10, 2007, to challenge President Pervez Musharraf's 8-year
military rule.
[42]
Popularity
By
August 2007 Musharraf became increasingly unpopular. A
International Republican Institute survey showed that 64% of the population did not want another term to be granted to Musharraf as the president of Pakistan.
[43] The Economist reported that the country was in a mess even by Pakistan standards.
[44] A respected journalist
Ayaz Amir stated that the General was “the author of his own misfortune”. The article stated that unlike other dictators Musharraf has an easy exit that should be heeded to
[45].
President Musharaff admitted that his popularity was on a decline. The president admitted that “Yes, my popularity has been reduced. Yes, I agree with you,”
[46].
The Dawn, a leading news paper, conducted a survey showed that about 54.5%
urban Pakistanis believe that military should have no role in politics while 65.2% want Gen Pervez Musharraf to leave the office of the president
[47].
In an effort to boost his falling popularity ratings in an election year, Musharraf will be a regular guest star on a state sponsored Q&A show titled "From the President's House"
[48] . The show will be aired weekly on
PTV and partly or wholly on some private channels. His efforts have been likened to
Ayub Khan's "Decade of Development" celebrations at a time when mass protests started to cripple the rule of the former dictator in late 1960s.
The loss of popularity of Musharaf has been multifactorial . He being fond of challenging Taboos has annoyed religious right. Non political factors as complete absence of state support for poor, disabled, elderly, venerable concomitantly with extreme capitalism has put the poor on the edge. Similarly lack of reforms in judicial , police , law , education and health sector has led to poor polls. Reckless appointment without qualifications of retired army officers and females has not helped either.
Foreign policy
Relations with India
Musharraf was Chief of Army Staff at the time of
Mujahideen incursions into India from
Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the summer of 1999. Although Pakistan claimed that these were Kashmiri freedom fighters, later developments showed that they were Pakistani paramilitary soldiers backing up the separatists on the mountain top. After fierce fighting, Pakistani soldiers were pulled back due to pressure from the international community. Some reports suggest that Musharraf retreated after huge pressure on the former Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif from the American President
Bill Clinton, who feared the conflict could turn into a nuclear catastrophe.
However, in ''
Battle Ready'', a book co-authored by ex-
CENTCOM Commander in Chief
Anthony Zinni and novelist
Tom Clancy, the former alleges that Musharraf was the one who pushed Sharif to withdraw the Pakistani troops after being caught in a losing scenario.
[49] According to an ex-official of the Musharraf government, Hassan Abbas, it was Musharraf who planned the whole operation and sold the idea to Nawaz Sharif.
[50] The view that Musharraf wanted to attempt the Kargil infiltrations much earlier was also revealed by Former Pakistani PM
Benazir Bhutto in an interview with a leading
daily newspaper, where he had supposedly boasted that "he would hoist the
flag of Pakistan atop the
Srinagar Assembly" if his plan was executed
[51] PML(N), a leading Pakistan party added that Musharraf had planned the Kargil intrusions but panicked when the conflict broke out with India and decided to brief then- Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif.
[52] Since the Kargil incident came just after the
Lahore Peace Summit earlier that year, Musharraf, who is perceived by some Indians as the architect of the Kargil Conflict, is often regarded with scepticism in India.
[53][54]
On
December 13,
2001, a group of militants attacked
India's Parliament with bombs and guns. India, who blamed Pakistan for the attack, mobilized for a potential war. Musharraf denied any Pakistani involvement with the attacks. Nonetheless, the United States began to apply diplomatic pressure following the incident. On
January 17, the ''
Washington Post'' (Jim Hoagland,
January 17) reported that "the United States extracted promises from Gen. Musharraf that Pakistan's intelligence service and army will cease giving food, weapons and other logistical help to infiltrators who carry out raids into India and
Indian-controlled Kashmir. The army will no longer provide mortar fire to cover the militants, who have been cut adrift by Musharraf".
In the beginning several corp commanders were not appointed by Musharaf and perhaps were not agreeable to complete turnabout in Afghanistan after 9/11 , Soon after that attack on indian parliament Pakistani forces were defending borders on India due to tensions above .This might have given more leverage to USA to affect a more complete turnabout about Afghanistan by Pakistan.
In the middle of 2004, Musharraf began a series of talks with India to solve the
Kashmir dispute. In addition to the Kashmir dispute, both leaders discussed the following issues: Wullar Barrage and Kishangaga power project,
Baglihar Dam on the
Chenab River being built by India in
Jammu and Kashmir, Disputed
Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the
Rann of Kutch,
Siachin glacier, Issues of
Gurdaspur and
Ferozepur's status, Hindu-Muslim Relations,
Autonomy for the
Sikhs in Indian
Punjab,
Minority rights, Indian contentions that Pakistan is sponsoring "cross-border" terrorism.
Support for the War on Terror
President Musharraf and President Bush during a press conference in the White House
Following the
September 11, 2001 attacks in the
United States, Musharraf sided with the United States against the
Taliban government in
Afghanistan after an ultimatum by the United States. Musharraf agreed to give the United States the use of three airbases for
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials met with Musharraf. Musharraf's reversal of policy and help to the U.S. military was necessary in the U.S. bombing that rapidly overcame the Taliban regime. On
September 19,
2001, Musharraf addressed the people of Pakistan and stated while he supported the
Taliban, unless Pakistan reversed its support, Pakistan risked being endangered by an alliance of India and the USA.
[55] In 2006, Musharraf testified that this stance was pressured by threats from the U.S,
[Reuters: U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan after 9/11: Musharraf ''Reuters'' 2006-09-21] and revealed in his memoirs that he had "war-gamed" the United States as an adversary and decided that it would end in Pakistan losing such a conflict, especially since arch rivals India would also join in such an attack.
[56]
Al Qaeda
On July 22nd 2004,
The Guardian reported that
Omar Sheikh, a British-born Islamist, had, on the instructions of General
Mahmoud Ahmed, the then head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), wired $100,000 before the 9/11 attacks to
Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker. When Ahmed was exposed by the
Wall Street Journal as having sent the money to the hijackers, he was forced to retire by President Musharraf.
[57]
Richard Armitage comments on controversy
During a September 24, 2006 interview with
CBS News's ''
60 Minutes'' program (interviewed by
Steve Kroft), Musharraf described how then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage had called Musharraf's intelligence director shortly following the September 11, 2001 attacks and threatened military action if Pakistan did not support the U.S.-led War on Terror. According to Musharraf, Armitage warned: "Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the
Stone Age"
[58] Furthermore, during an interview with
Jon Stewart of ''
The Daily Show'' on September 26, 2006, Musharraf stated that then-Secretary of State
Colin Powell also contacted him with a similar message: "You are with us or against us." Musharraf refused to elaborate further, citing the then-upcoming release of his book, '' (ISBN 0-7432-8344-9). Armitage has, however, categorically denied that the U.S. used such harsh words to threaten Pakistan whereas President Bush has refrained from publicly acknowledging the possibility of the exact wordings being used. However, according to the press statement he said that "I was taken aback".
Nuclear proliferation
One of the most widely-reported controversies during Musharraf's administration arose as a consequence of the disclosure of
nuclear proliferation by Dr.
Abdul Qadeer Khan, the
metallurgist known as the father of Pakistan's bomb. Musharraf has denied knowledge of or participation by Pakistan's government or army in this proliferation and has faced bitter domestic criticism for singularly vilifying Khan, a former national hero. Musharraf continues to enjoy the strong support of the
White House and former
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. AQ Khan has been pardoned in exchange for cooperation in the investigation of his nuclear-proliferation network. However, he is still under house arrest, and is likely to remain so till the end of his days. The fate of those who were found to have conspired with Khan is yet to be decided.
[59]
Denouncing extremism
On
January 12,
2002, Musharraf gave a landmark speech against
Islamic extremism. He unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism. He also pledged to combat Islamic extremism and lawlessness within Pakistan itself.
He has also used it to ban funding of
madrasas and
mosques from outside the country. At the same time as banning foreign funding of Islamic educational institutions, he made it compulsory for them to teach a whole host of additional subjects such as computing. This meant that many had to close due to the halt of funds from Pakistanis working abroad resulting in not being able to teach the additional subjects that he had made compulsory. Musharraf also instituted prohibitions on foreign students' access to studying Islam within Pakistan, an effort which began as an outright ban but was later reduced to restrictions on obtaining visas.
Islamic Extremism
Legacy
Pervez Musharraf claims to be a moderate leader, with liberal and progressive ideas. He has also expressed admiration for the secular reformer
Kemal Ataturk of Turkey, outraging religious anti-secularists in the country.
[60] Musharraf's policy is often seen as a secularist counterpart to militant Islam.
His government maintains that
Pakistan is prospering due to his economic and social reforms. Statements issued by his media wizards suggest significant improvement in the economy, Experts are, however, cautious about any optimism, since the steep rise in GDP is attributed to rebasing
[61] done in 2004. External debt, on the other hand, has for the first time hit $40 billion mark.
[62]
His policies regarding the freedom of press and media have resulted in the mushrooming of a large number of independent TV channels, which are regarded highly independent. However, following the media coverage of the
carnage in Karachi on May 12, 2007, he attempted to curb the freedom of press by decree. The measure backfired, with severe backlash, and was eventually withdrawn. In order to counter rapidly growing anger and frustration among the masses against his policies, state owned television,
PTV, has decided to air weekly shows involving him to bolster his approval ratings.
He has expressed admiration for the right-wing General
Rahimuddin Khan, the
authoritarian martial law administrator of
Balochistan throughout the
1980s. He was severely criticized by human rights organizations following his comments in response to the rape of
Mukhtar Mai. On September 23, 2005, during a tape-recorded 50-minute interview
[Washington Post] with the Washington Post, Musharraf had suggested that rape was becoming a "moneymaking concern" in Pakistan.
Mukhtar Mai, was earlier gang-raped on the orders of a village council in 2002.
Notes
1. - Official Biography of Pervez Musharraf
2. , Pervez Musharraf, , , Free Press, 2006, ISBN 0-7432-8344-9
3. The Battle of Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965
4. PakDef.Info - M47 & M48 Patton in Pakistani Service
5. Musharraf’s fiery memoirs By Anwar Kemal, Dawn (newspaper) October 14, 2006
6. Musharraf’s 1971, a sob story, Musharraf 'wept' when East Pak fell
7. Jamestown Foundation
8. Battle Ready, Tom Clancy, Gen. Tony Zinni (Retd) and Tony Koltz, , , Grosset & Dunlap, 2004, ISBN 0-399-15176-1
9. Musharraf Vs. Sharif: Who's Lying?
10.
Risk-taker Musharraf prepares to show his hand Rory McCarthy in Islamabad Guardian Unlimited Monday June 3, 2002
11. BBC profile on Musharraf
12. Daily Times - Musharraf tells why he wants another five years
13. Current assembles to reelect Musharraf
14. Arrests follow Musharraf attack - BBC News
15. Shots fired at Musharraf's plane in apparent assassination attempt July 6, 2007 Chicago Sun Tribune
16. 39 people arrested in connection with attack on Musharraf's plane
17. Citigroup: Global Consumer Business Announces Management Structure
18. BBC - Musharraf's corruption crackdown 'failing'
19. transparency.org - Corruption Perceptions Index 2001
20. transparency.org - Corruption Perceptions Index 2006
21. EDITORIAL: Disinformation International? September 25, 2006, Daily Times
22. Zee News - Musharraf regime more corrupt than govts of Sharif, Bhutto
23. Manmohan Singh’s ratings soar; across the border, General’s sink (Sanjay Kumar / Yogendra Yadav, August 15, 2007)
24. Daily Times - 54.5 per cent want military out of politics
25. ADB points to poor governance: Pakistan’s social indicators among worst in Asia By Khaleeq Kiani August 15, 2007 Dawn
26. Bogged Down By Endless Troubles by AYAZ GUL Islamabad - Asiaweek
27. George Orwell and Musharraf's book By Aisha Fayyazi Sarwari November 03, 2006 The News
28. Video of interview with Geo TV.
29. Judge row prompts Pakistan democracy questions, BBC, Monday, 12 March 2007, 17:47 GMT.
30. Musharraf’s tenure as army chief challenged Dawn
31. EDITORIAL: Musharraf’s political options are closing Daily Times
32. [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/20/worldupdates/2007-07-20T193211Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-285778-3&sec=Worldupdates Kamran Haider, "Court reinstates Pakistan judge in blow to Musharraf" "The Star" [of Malaysia] July 20, 2007]
33. The Real News - Pakistan Supreme Court reinstates chief justice
34. Pakistan steps up pressure on mosque militants - The Guardian
35. Chicago Tribune - Pakistan weighs emergency
36. FT.Com - Rice acts over Pakistan ‘emergency’f
37. NDTV.com
38. National Post Cananda - Musharraf rejects emergency, wants polls in Pakistan
39. Daily Times Pakistan - Shujaat admits suggesting emergency
40. Bloomberg Pakistan Stocks Fall Most in Three Weeks: World's Biggest Mover
41. BBC NEWS, Bhutto vows early Pakistan return
42. Channel NewsAsia, Pakistan court orders arrest of Sharif's brother
43. The Economist A mess in Pakistan
44. The Economist - A mess in Pakistan
45. Dawn Pakistan - Fighting someone else's war?
46. IBN LIVE - My popularity has reduced: Musharraf
47. Dawn Pakistan - 54.5 per cent want military out of politics
48. 'Musharraf TV' bids to spin image
49. Battle Ready, Tom Clancy, Gen. Tony Zinni (Retd) and Tony Koltz, , , Grosset & Dunlap, 2004, ISBN 0-399-15176-1
50. Pakistan's Drift Into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror, Hassan Abbas, , , M.E. Sharpe, 2004, ISBN 0-7656-1497-9
51. Musharraf advised against Kargil, says Benazir
52. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2153729.cms
53. 'India should trust Musharraf' The Rediff Interview/MQM leader Altaf Hussein November 22, 2004
54. The Hindu - OF DICTATORS AND DEMOCRATS Frontline Volume 17 - Issue 05, Mar. 04 - 17, 2000]
55. President General Pervez Musharraf: Address to People of Pakistan
56. Musharraf's book says Pakistan faced U.S. 'onslaught' if it didn't back terror war 9/26/2006 USA Today
57. The Pakistan connection - evidence of foreign intelligence backing for the 9/11 hijackers - The Guardian22/06/2004, article by Michael Meacher
58. US 'threatened to bomb' Pakistan BBC, 22 September, 2006
59. Pakistan nuclear case 'is closed'
60. Musharraf promises 'stronger democracy'
61. [1]
62. External debt rises to billion
References
★ Pervez Musharraf, '' (2006)
See also
★
List of national leaders
★
Politics of Pakistan
★
Line of Succession to President of Pakistan
★
Nawaz Sharif
★
Musharraf view on Enlightened moderation
★
Mirza Tahir Hussain
★
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Chief Justice of Pakistan
External links
;Official websites
★ '
General Pervez Musharraf'
★ '
Pervez Musharraf'
★
Official Presidential website
★
Official Biographical website
★
Official Repository of Presidential Speeches
;Biographies and profiles
★
Biography on storyofpakistan.com
★ ''
Time'' magazine
cover story on Musharraf
★
Profile in 2001 by the
BBC
★
Biography,
25 December 2003 by the BBC
★
Profile in September 2004 by the BBC
★
Unofficial biography at pervez.musharraf.net
;Video Material on Musharraf
★
Videos from Pakistani News channels having information related to Musharraf
;Books on Musharraf
★
The Musharraf Factor, by Abid Ullah Jan
;Articles by Musharraf
★
"A Plea for Enlightened Moderation", by Pervez Musharraf, ''
Washington Post'' opinion piece
;Interviews
★
An hour with Pervez Musharraf, ''
Charlie Rose'' (video)
★
Address by Pervez Musharraf to
U.S. Institute of Peace (text, audio & video available) June 2003
★
''The Telegraph'', United Kingdom,
20 June 2004
★
''Time'' magazine, United States,
25 September 2005
★
''Washington Post'', United States,
29 January 2006
★
★ Musharraf: "There is no milk and honey flowing after you get these two people", referring to Osama and Zawahiri and that military might alone cannot defeat terrorism.
★
Pakistani President Musharraf speaks to students and diplomats about the future of Pakistan, ''Fora TV'', September 23, 2006 (Video)
;Referendum
★
Referendum report
★
BBC report on referendum
★
Speech on national TV, in which Musharraf apologizes for "improper" voting in the referendum
★
★ "...at lower level due to unnecessary enthusiasm and carelessness, inefficiency and ignorance there might have been some improper case of voting in some areas. If this is true I regret it from the core of my heart. I feel sad and sorry for it," said Musharraf.
;Electoral College vote
★
"Pakistan Gives Musharraf Confidence Vote as President"; ''New York Times'';
January 1,
2004]
;Other articles
★
President Clinton's statement regarding the 1999 coup
★
"US threatened to bomb Pakistan back to 'the Stone Age'"
★
Supreme Leader urges stronger Iran-Pakistan relations
;Surveys
★
Poll Grading Gen. Musharraf
★
Survey by
The Gallup Organization
★
Report by Washington-based
Pew Research Center
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