tagged w/ Musharraf
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The International Economic Forum of the Americas is taking place this week in Montreal, Canada and ends today. According to its Facebook page, it is committed to enhance knowledge and awareness on key economic issues of our times. Over 3,000 participated and 170 speakers were on hand. One of the people invited to attend was ex-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf who spoke for about 20 minutes yesterday, prior to being interviewed by Charlie Rose.
One of the things he said, very specifically, was that he wanted to see proof not only of Osama bin-Laden's death, but of his presence in Abbottabad for five years.
If in fact, this were true, it would mean that bin-Laden was in Abbottabad during Musharraf's rule. Musharraf was Pakistan's appointed president in June of 2001, after having led a military coup in 1999, and remained in power until his resignation in 2008. He attempted to overcome any doubts that there might have been complicity between the ISI (Pakistan's intelligence services), the Pakistani army and Osama bin-Laden. Musharraf declares that as far as he knows, he knew nothing of the sort 500% and that the ISI nor the army could have hidden this fact from him.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Musharraf asking for proof of bin-Laden's death - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/musharraf-asking-for-proof-of-bin-laden-s-death#ixzz1Op6KdbseThe International Economic Forum of the Americas is taking place this week in... more
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Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 shortly after a rally in Pakistan. General Pervez Musharraf was President at the time. Musharraf's supporters claim it is a result of vendetta, although the FIA suggests there is enough information to require Musharraf's arrest.Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 shortly after a rally in... more
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ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant Saturday for former President Pervez Musharraf in connection with the assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, while government investigators accused the retired general of involvement in the slaying.
Though he does not yet face any charges, the developments mark a major escalation of legal troubles for Musharraf, a one-time U.S. ally who went into self-exile in Britain in 2008 after being forced out of the presidency he secured in a 1999 military coup.
The accusations of a role in Bhutto's death were leveled by a government now run by Musharaff's rivals. They make it nearly impossible for him to fulfill pleges to return to Pakistan and lead a new political party.
Bhutto was killed Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and suicide bomb attack after returning to Pakistan to campaign in elections Musharraf agreed to allow after months of domestic and international pressure. Musharraf blamed the Pakistani Taliban, an al-Qaida affiliated group, for the attack, but government prosecutors now allege he was part of the plot to kill the popular former premier.
"A joint investigation team in its report to the court has found Musharraf guilty of being involved in the conspiracy and abetting to kill Benazir Bhutto," said Zulfikar Ali Chaudhry, the lead prosecutor.
He said the probe has evidence that Musharraf was "completely involved" through Baitullah Mehsud, the late leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and that prosecutors are seeking a murder trial. He did not elaborate.
Musharraf has always denied any role in Bhutto's death and scoffed at critics who said he did not do enough to protect her. Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. missile strike in 2009, also denied targeting Bhutto.
Musharraf's lawyer, Mohammad Ali Saif, said his client was innocent of any allegations but had no plans to contest them in court, where he's been ordered to appear on Feb. 19.
"This is just a drama. It is all politics," Saif told The Associated Press. He said Pakistani investigators never tried to reach Musharraf about the case, whose proceedings are closed to the public.
The new accusations and arrest warrant stem from a case against two security officials accused of being derelict in their duties to protect Bhutto. Musharraf has not been indicted, but the court is conducting preliminary hearings about the accusations against him, and he will have an opportunity to defend himself.
A U.N. investigation into the assassination said Musharraf's government didn't do enough to ensure Bhutto's security and criticized steps taken by investigators after her death, including hosing down the crime scene and failing to perform an autopsy.
The U.N. officials were not tasked with finding out who the exact culprits behind the killing were. But they identified two main threats facing Bhutto – Islamist extremists like al-Qaida and the Taliban who opposed her links to the West and secular outlook, and members of the "Pakistani Establishment," the term used locally to refer to a powerful and shady network of military, intelligence, political and business leaders said to actually control the country.
After her death, Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party rode a wave of public sympathy to garner the most seats in the February 2008 elections. Months later, the party forced Musharraf to quit the presidency by threatening impeachment. He later left for London, and has since spent a good deal of time on the lecture circuit, including in the United States.
Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Pakistan, but the British government can decide to extradite those accused of crimes on a case by case basis.
Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said if the court requests it, the government will contact Interpol about bringing Musharraf in.
The U.S. backed Musharraf for much of his military rule because he was, at least officially, an ally in the American-led war on global terrorism, and provided Washington assistance in pursuing militants who used Pakistan's soil as a hideout to prepare attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.
But many in Pakistan resented his alliance with the U.S., and his domestic missteps, including attempts to fire the chief justice of the Supreme Court, pummeled his popularity, leading to mass protests that ultimately forced Musharraf to bend and allow fresh elections.
The new Pakistani president and head of the ruling People's Party is Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower. He also supports the U.S. and has backed offensives against militants on Pakistani territory.
Also Saturday, a man detonated explosives as army troops prepared to storm his hideout in northwest Pakistan, killing himself and wounding at least three soldiers, a senior army official said.
The blast occurred outside the town of Bhat Khela in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province after troops acting on a tip from residents surrounded a militant hideout, Brig. Saeed Ullah said. Soldiers killed a second militant in the shootout that followed the explosion.
Ullah said security forces detained five men from the area on suspicion of sheltering the militants, who he said were planning a suicide attack in the Swat Valley. Bhat Khela is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Mingora, the main town in Swat.
The Pakistani army launched a major anti-Taliban offensive in 2009 in Swat, a one-time tourist haven largely overrun by militants beginning in 2007.
Though the monthslong offensive was hailed a success, militant activity is still reported in the picturesque region and concerns are growing that the insurgents could rise again.
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Associated Press Writer Sherin Zada contributed to this report from Mingora.ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant Saturday for former... more
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There were many chances for the then Government that could have stopped the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, United Nations commission said. The Commission blamed Musharraf's Government on failing to provide adequate security measures.There were many chances for the then Government that could have stopped the... more
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The U.S. terror war as seen through the eyes of a prisoner
When we first began corresponding with Khalid Awan in 2007, we had no idea why he was serving time in U.S. federal prison. We soon discovered Awan was one of the first of thousands of Muslims taken prisoner in the post-9/11 U.S. “terror war.” As the story began unfolding in our letters, we began to realize that this honest, humble and sincere man was not only innocent, but the ongoing injustice being done to him provides critical insight into the mindless, meanspirited, bureaucratic-yes-men idiocy fueling the illegal U.S. “war on terror” (and just about everything else that is going wrong in this country). At our insistence, Awan wrote his story and supplied us with whatever documents we requested. And now, after three months of cooperative efforts, the story of Khalid Awan can be told. We have come to know Awan as a peaceful man engaged in peaceful work who has been wrongfully accused, detained and repeatedly convicted of crimes he did not commit because he was a Muslim with international connections and an office in New York on 9/11. We present this to you in faith that you will realize a deeper understanding of the levels of complicity necessary for the “land of the free” to tolerate the phony war on terror year after year and in hope that Awan—and all the other million or more political prisoners being held by this country—will one day be reunited with their families.
Khalid Awan # 50959-054
USP Marion
P.O.BOX : 1000
Marion, IL 62959
USA
http://www.freekhalidawan.com/,
http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=3759,
http://awankhalid.com/,
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60600467317The U.S. terror war as seen through the eyes of a prisoner
When we first began... more
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India Thinks it can help corner Pakistan along with the international community, under the banner of "anti terrorism" and continue to conduct it's own terror campaigns in the Kashmir conflict. Why is it that India is allowed to spend all and any aid it receives towards its military, largely pitted against Pakistan, and when Pakistan does anything of that sort, it is chastised.India Thinks it can help corner Pakistan along with the international community, under... more
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"Wherever there is a threat to Pakistan, we will use it [equipment provided by the US] there. If the threat comes from al-Qaeda or Taliban, it will be used there. If the threat comes from India, we will most surely use it there," Mr Musharraf told Pakistan's Express News television channel.
"There is nothing like this equipment has come from the US and must only be used against Taliban, or that equipment has come from China and must be used against this or that," he added.
A perfect example of the bias towards Pakistan by the International Community. Pakistan Is supposedly not allowed to defend itself in the face of true problems, While other countries run wild in their campaigns agaisnt "WMD's""Wherever there is a threat to Pakistan, we will use it [equipment provided by... more
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The revamped war on terror: Who's who in Pakistan's tribal areas. Part 2
In the second part of this series, Pakistan analyst Khawar Mehdi explains to Pepe Escobar how US forces crossed from Afghanistan to Pakistan in hot pursuit, in their raid on the tribal areas on September 2. Mehdi identifies the key tribal leaders the US is after, from fabled Mujahideen Jalaluddin Haqqani, a veteran of the jihad in the 1980s, to Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban, the top Taliban group in the Pakistani tribal areas. The aims and strategies of different groups are also discussed. Included is rare, recent footage shot in North and South Waziristan.
Khawar Mehdi, born in Rawalpindi, is a Pakistani journalist and political analyst. Even before 9/11 he had advised numerous journalists, academics and researchers from North America and Europe working in the tribal areas of Pakistan and in Afghanistan. In 2004 he was imprisoned and tortured by President Pervez Musharraf's regime while investigating the presence of Taliban training camps inside Pakistan. He was released thanks to an international media campaign - after a personal intervention by Musharraf. Mehdi has unparalleled access to sources in Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas). He has been living in Virginia since 2005, working as an analyst/consultant.
See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89316301_the_revamped_war_on_terror_exposed
See Part 3 at: http://current.com/items/89318873_al_qaeda_and_jihad_s_tribal_connections
See Part 4 at: http://current.com/items/89323433_pakistani_army_protected_bin_laden_and_taliban
The revamped war on terror: Who's who in Pakistan's tribal areas. Part 2... more
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How Pakistan reacts against US Special Forces in the tribal areas. Part 1
This is the first part of a series on the new face of the "war on terror" in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region. This follows the latest US Special Forces operations inside Pakistan in the last few days. Journalist and analyst Khawar Mehdi tells Pepe Escobar about the main political players involved; the strain the new US strategy puts over the Pakistani military and government; the ways Pakistani public opinion and tribal area Pashtuns are angrily reacting to it; and the consequences of renewed anti-US sentiment spreading to most sectors of Pakistani society.
Khawar Mehdi, born in Rawalpindi, is a Pakistani journalist and political analyst. Even before 9/11 he had advised numerous journalists, academics and researchers from North America and Europe working in the tribal areas of Pakistan and in Afghanistan. In 2004 he was imprisoned and tortured by President Pervez Musharraf's regime while investigating the presence of Taliban training camps inside Pakistan. He was released thanks to an international media campaign - after a personal intervention by Musharraf. Mehdi has unparalleled access to sources in Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas). He has been living in Virginia since 2005, working as an analyst/consultant.
See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89316341_who_s_in_us_line_of_fire_in_pak_tribal_areas
See Part 3 at: http://current.com/items/89318873_al_qaeda_and_jihad_s_tribal_connections
See Part 4 at: http://current.com/items/89323433_pakistani_army_protected_bin_laden_and_taliban
How Pakistan reacts against US Special Forces in the tribal areas. Part 1
This is... more
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Pakistan's fragile ruling coalition is at risk of being pulled apart today, setting the stage for a major political showdown two weeks before the country's politicians choose a new president.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, head of the second-largest party in the coalition, has laid down a Monday deadline for the reinstatement of judges sacked by Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as president last week.
But it was unclear if the coalition's other main party, the PPP, would agree to their immediate restoration. Sharif has threatened to pull out of the coalition if the PPP refuses.
The PPP still would have enough allies in parliament to hold the government together with the withdrawal of Sharif's party, but analysts say that governing in the long term would be difficult with Sharif in opposition.
The political bickering has also underlined concerns for Pakistan's stability as the country tries to keep a lid on Islamic militants from the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Nearly 100 people were killed in suicide bombings last week alone. Pakistan Taliban say the bombings were carried out in response to a military campaign against them - and have threatened more attacks to come.
Musharraf sacked the judges last year to ensure there would be no legal challenges to his re-election as president while holding the dual role as head of Pakistan's powerful military.
Their sacking set off a wave of public protests, however, and eventually led to the coalition threatening to impeach Musharraf before he stepped down last Monday.
Now critics say the PPP may not want to restore the judges either, because of fears that they could overturn the amnesty on corruption charges that allowed PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari to return to the country last year.
Zardari took over the party after his wife Benazir Bhutto, another former premier was assassinated in December, and he is likely to be selected by MPs on September 6 as the new president.
But Sharif's party could split from the coalition and then run another candidate for the presidency if the two sides do not find common ground on the judges. Nomination papers are due to be filed by tomorrow.Pakistan's fragile ruling coalition is at risk of being pulled apart today,... more
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's largest political party on Friday proposed the husband of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto to succeed the ousted Pervez Musharraf as president.
Asif Ali Zardari, who is emerging as the favorite to be elected by legislators Sept. 6, criticized Musharraf for his long, authoritarian rule but would likely continue the former general's support for the U.S. war against extremist groups.
However, his ascent would dismay many Pakistanis, who view him as a symbol of the sleaze that tainted the country's last experiment with civilian rule in the 1990s. He won the nickname "Mr. 10 Percent" for alleged corruption during his wife's turns as prime minister.
And, with the governing coalition that drove Musharraf to resign this week now teetering on the verge of collapse, Zardari's nomination is not certain. He is engaged in intense political horse-trading with the leader of the other key party, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was a bitter rival of Bhutto.
Sharif had no immediate reaction to Zardari's nomination, but his party has been threatening to bolt from the coalition in a struggle over power.
Many citizens, as well as Pakistan's Western backers, are urging the parties to resolve political issues and turn their attention to runaway inflation, slowing economic growth and inexorably rising violence by Islamic militants entrenched along the border with Afghanistan.
That need was rammed home Thursday by twin Taliban suicide bombings that killed 67 people at the country's biggest weapons manufacturing complex, just 22 miles from the capital, Islamabad. On Friday, security forces killed 16 militants, including two suspected suicide bombers, in a clash in the restive frontier in the northwest, officials said.
After seeking to tame militant groups in peace negotiations, the government has been entangled in recent weeks in increasing fighting with hard-line Islamic movements along the border. Militant violence began intensifying after Musharraf ordered soldiers to seize a radical mosque in Islamabad during a bloody battle in July 2007.
According to Associated Press reporting, at least 110 militant attacks have been launched on government, military or police targets since the mosque siege and about 20 attacks have targeted civilians. At least 60 of all those attacks were suicide bombingsISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's largest political party on Friday proposed... more
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ivxx
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Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said his party will pull out, unless judges sacked by ex-President Pervez Musharraf are immediately reinstated.
The other disagreement is over who should succeed Mr Musharraf, following his resignation on Monday.
The talks come a day after more than 60 people died in twin suicide attacks.
The party leaders failed to hammer out a deal when they met on Monday and Tuesday.
Most members of the biggest party in the coalition, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), want to nominate as president Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of their late leader, Benazir Bhutto. She was assassinated in December last year.
The president is chosen by the two chambers of the national parliament and the country's four provincial elections. The election will be held on 6 September.
But Mr Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), prefers what he calls a consensus president.
The coalition was elected in February but analysts say it has failed to find solutions to Pakistan's economic crisis and to the militants in its north-western tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Islamabad says the politicians' squabbling is hindering any possible plan for tackling militant violence.
The Pakistani Taleban claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide bombings on an ordnance factory in the town of Wah, near the capital Islamabad. It was the deadliest attack on a military site in Pakistan's history.
The militant group promised more attacks in Pakistan's major urban conurbations unless the army withdrew from the tribal areas.
On Tuesday, 32 people were killed in a suicide attack on a hospital in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
Mr Musharraf, a key ally of President Bush's "war on terror", stepped down this week after nine years in power to avoid being impeached.
He sacked about 60 Supreme Court judges during a state of emergency in November to prevent them from overturning his re-election as president.
Analysts say that although the PPP and PML-N worked together to hound Mr Musharraf from office, there is a history of intense rivalry and mistrust between the two main parties.
The parties differ over the future of Mr Musharraf, who has been replaced by a caretaker president, the speaker of the Senate.
Mr Zardari's party has said it believes Mr Musharraf may have immunity from prosecution.
But Mr Sharif's party argues he should stand trial for, among other things, abrogating the constitution.Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said his party will pull out, unless judges... more
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There's no good reason to think the new leaders will do any better than Musharraf in assisting in the war on terror
There's no good reason to think the new leaders will do any better than Musharraf... more
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I came across a smart youngman full of passion for the Musharraf government because of all the right things that had finally started happening for Pakistan in the past 8 years. With the exception of the former President's last year in power, this youth has a vibrant take on Pervaiz Musharraf, the success he had in finally providing Pakistan with much-needed stability and where he thinks we're heading from here. It's a bit long, but it is the voice we're not hearing enough of.I came across a smart youngman full of passion for the Musharraf government because of... more
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Beleaguered president leaves but Pakistan's problems remain.
With opponents vowing to impeach him, Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation on Monday. According to the Guardian Newspaper Musharraf’s problems are far from over. Though covered for his military coup in 1999 by a constitutional amendment, he has no such protection for the state of emergency he declared last fall, and is thus open to prosecution as long as he remains in Pakistan. There are also a lot of people-mainly Islamic militants-who want to kill him. According to the Hindu newspaper “Musharraf’s exit is unlikely to undo Pakistani militants. “ It goes on to state that the country’s new civilian government has done "little to change Musharraf’s policies in the troubled northwest regions bordering Afghanistan. The coalition government wants to retain close ties to Washington, and support the international fight against Islamic extremism."Beleaguered president leaves but Pakistan's problems remain.
With opponents... more
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From Oct 7, 1998 when he became chief of army staff to Oct 12, 1999 when he ousted the Nawaz Sharif government and now, almost nine years later, when he quit Monday as Pakistan's 12th president, Pervez Musharraf has played a key role in the country's development.
His political career in a nutshell:
Oct 7, 1998: Appointed chief of army staff.
April 9, 1999: Given additional charge of chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
May-July, 1999: Kargil conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. Musharraf claims he acted on the orders of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Oct 12, 1999: Overthrows Sharif in bloodless military coup; sends him into exile to Saudi Arabia a year later; dissolves parliament and names himself chief executive, even as then president Rafiq Tarar remains in office.
May 12, 2000: Supreme Court orders Musharraf to hold national elections by Oct 12, 2002.
June 20, 2001: Appoints himself president.
July 14, 2001: Travels to Agra for summit with then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee; talks fail.
Dec 13, 2001: Terror attack on Indian parliament, for which India blames Islamabad-supported militant groups.
Dec 19, 2001: India and Pakistan almost go to war. India orders largest peacetime mobilisation along border with Pakistan.
April 30, 2002: Conducts referendum to extend his term to five years.
Jan 12, 2002: Delivers landmark speech against Islamic extremism; unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and pledges to combat Islamic extremism and lawlessness within Pakistan.
Oct 10, 2002: General elections bring Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) to power.
Nov 24, 2003: India and Pakistan declare truce along border.
Dec 2003: Makes deal with six-party religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) to leave the army by Dec 31, 2004 to cobble together two-thirds majority in parliament to retroactively legalise 1999 coup; later retracts on deal.
Dec 14, 2003: Survives assassination attempt.
Dec 25, 2003: Survives another assassination attempt.
Jan 1, 2004: Wins confidence vote in Electoral College of Pakistan comprising both houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies.
Sep 17, 2005: Makes historic speech before broad based audience of Jewish leadership, sponsored by the American Jewish Congress, in New York, denouncing terrorism and opening the door to relationships between Israel and Pakistan, as well as between the Muslim world and Jews worldwide.
March 9, 2007: Suspends Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
March 12, 2007: Lawyers across Pakistan boycott court procedures to protest Chaudhry's suspension.
July 6, 2007: Another attempted assassination against Musharraf.
July 8, 2007: Security forces storm Islamabad's Lal Masjid to flush out fundamentalists.
July 20, 2007: Supreme Court reinstates Chaudhry.
Sep 13, 2007: Islamic militants in North West Frontier Province capture 300 Pakistani troops as government moves to assert its authority in the area.
Oct 6, 2007: Musharraf re-elected president for a second term.
Oct 18, 2007: Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan from exile.
Nov 3, 2007: Musharraf declares state of emergency; suspends parliament, sacks Supreme Court bench.
click http:///www.hamropalo.com for detailFrom Oct 7, 1998 when he became chief of army staff to Oct 12, 1999 when he ousted the... more
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Pakistan's two former military dictators - Gen. Ziaul Haq and Gen. Pervez Musharraf - had much in common, besides the fact that both were born in India and moved to Pakistan after the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947. Zia died 20 years and a day before Musharraf's rule ended.
Both were born in August - Zia on Aug 12, 1924 at Jalandhar and Musharraf on Aug 11, 1943 in Delhi. Both overthrew the governments of the prime ministers who had appointed them army chiefs out of turn and bypassing five senior generals.
Former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed Zia as the army chief by superseding five generals, hoping that Zia would prove loyal to him as he was from amongst the Punjabi people settled in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Unconfirmed reports say that Bhutto used to refer to Zia as a 'monkey general'.
Nawaz Sharif appointed Musharraf the army chief superseding five generals and thought he would remain loyal as he belonged to a minority ethnic group.
Both Zia and Musharraf were removed from power in August - Zia after his plane crashed Aug 17, 1988 while Musharraf was forced to resign Aug 18, 2008.
The fathers of both military dictators were government employees in undivided India and moved to Pakistan after partition. Both Zia and Musharraf were identified as mohajirs (refugees) in Pakistan and not as sons of the soil.
Among generals both were considered to be extremely lucky who got promoted to the top position in the army despite several negative remarks against them in the annual confidential reports.
'Usually, with such remarks, no officer goes beyond major,' said Usman Khan, a retired brigadier.
Both were under scrutiny when the 1965 war broke out between India and Pakistan but their cases were closed because of the emergency situation.
Zia joined the British Indian Army in New Delhi in 1943, the year when Musharraf was born and both had fought the 1965 and 1971 wars against India.
Both military dictators started the local bodies system in the country. Zia's initiative was abandoned by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government that came to power after his death. The one started by Musharraf is already under scrutiny by the current PPP-led coalition government.
Both military generals cobbled together a political group of opportunists and formed a political party known as Pakistan Muslim League.
Pakistan's two former military dictators - Gen. Ziaul Haq and Gen. Pervez... more
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To judge by the responses of people whom my assistant and I talked with on the streets of Peshawar this weekend, most Pakistanis will greet the departure of President Pervez Musharraf from office with great satisfaction. Fewer than 10 per cent of those interviewed said he had done a good job even at the start of his rule. The rest said they disliked or even hated Mr Musharraf for two main reasons: he has failed to stop inflation, and “he has taken American money to kill his own people”.
The tragedy of Mr Musharraf is thus that his administration has been destroyed by factors largely beyond his control – notably the relationship with the US – although some of his decisions may have made them worse. The tragedy of Pakistan is that these factors now apply to all Pakistani governments.
Mr Musharraf has made considerable achievements – providing Pakistan’s best economic management for many years, and contributing to a growth rate that until the present downturn was among the highest in the world. His government was far less corrupt than that of his predecessors, and he himself has never been credibly accused of personal corruption.
Mr Musharraf’s own progressive and tolerant ideals contributed to an opening up of Pakistani cultural life, which had been for so long stifled by the legacy of General Zia’s official Islamisation policy. He introduced a devolution of power to elected local councils that, while flawed, gives the possibility for the growth of democracy in Pakistan’s districts, rather than the appearance of it in its parliament. Lastly, he belatedly went as far as any Pakistani leader can go in seeking a settlement with India.
Of course, Mr Musharraf could never be forgiven by the western media or Pakistani liberals for being a military ruler – although most of those same liberals had welcomed his coup in 1999. His military background may also have accentuated a personal flaw, which was a tendency to make impulsive and risky decisions. Neither his reputation nor his relations with India fully recovered from his responsibility for the militarily brilliant but geopolitically crazy Kargil operation in 1999. His hasty decision last year to dismiss most of the Supreme Court precipitated the events leading to his fall from power.
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Click on the link for the full article.To judge by the responses of people whom my assistant and I talked with on the streets... more
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(CNN) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation Monday after weeks of pressure to relinquish power.
Musharraf told the nation in a televised address that he would step down -- nearly nine years after he seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
"I don't want the people of Pakistan to slide deeper and deeper into uncertainty," Musharraf said.
"For the interest of the nation, I have decided to resign as president," he said. "I am not asking for anything. I will let the people of Pakistan decide my future." Watch Musharraf resign »
He was expected to turn in his resignation to parliament Monday.
"It will be accepted, there is no second opinion about that," said Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra, the secretary general of the junior partner in the ruling coalition, the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N).
Musharraf quit as the ruling coalition was taking steps to impeach him.
Local media reports said he had been granted "safe passage" out of the country.
Musharraf has been a keen ally of the West in the fight on terror, receiving billions in military aid from the U.S. and launching attacks on militant groups near the country's border with Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said he had been a "friend to the United States" and one of the "most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism."
"President Musharraf made the critical choice to join the fight against al-Qaida, the Taliban, and other extremist groups that threaten the peace and security of Pakistan, its neighbors, and partners throughout the world. For this, he has our deep gratitude," she said.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was strongly committed to its alliance with Pakistan following Musharraf's resignation.
He praised Musharraf's economic and security achievements, described Pakistan as a "vital friend" and said Britain's aid program for the country would continue, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, two Afghanistan government spokesman told AP Musharraf's resignation would be good for their country.
Until now, Musharraf, 65, had resisted pressure to resign. But his power had eroded since parties opposed to his rule swept to victory in February's parliamentary elections.
Musharraf spent a large part of his speech delivering a state-of-the-union style list of Pakistan's "accomplishments" under his rule. He contrasted it with what he called the deteriorating economic situation now.
"After the elections, the nation wanted solutions from the new government," he said. "But the politicians could not do so. A personal vendetta was started."
A coalition committee spent last week compiling a list of charges against Musharraf including corruption, economic mismanagement and violating the constitution. Parliament was expected to consider an impeachment motion Monday or Tuesday.
"I am confident that not a single charge can stand against me," Musharraf said. "I have not done anything for my personal gain. Whatever I have done, I have done it for Pakistan."
Faisal Kapadia, a commodities trader in Karachi who runs a blog about Pakistan called Deadpan Thoughts, said Musharraf's decision would get a mixed reaction.
"Leading Pakistan is not an easy task, and anyone doing it comes under a lot of criticism," he said.
"In the start, most Pakistanis were for him. And he still has some supporters -- especially because the new government, which promised to do things differently, has failed to do much in the past 100 days in power."
(CNN) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation Monday after... more
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