Our Announcements
Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here.
The legendary call of the Musketeers, “All for one, One for all“, comes from the Latin phrase, Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro unois and is also the traditional motto of Switzerland and a central part of the dome of the Federal Palace.
The phrase is a also highlighted in the 1998 film, The Man in the Iron Mask, directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as King Louis XIV of France, Gabriel Byrne as D’Artagnan, John Malkovich as Athos,Gérard Depardieu as Porthos and Jeremy Irons as Aramis, as the aging Musketeers.
Their clarion call and their loyalty to each other is established when D’Artagnan refuses to obey his King’s orders to kill the three Musketeers, who are his brothers in arms.
Reverting to real time, we have a similar situation in Pakistan, with the trial of Gen. Musharraf, the former COAS, who is being tried for treason in a special civilian court, under the hammers of three senior and respected Hon. Judges of Sindh, Balochistan and Lahore High Courts.
Like the Musketeers, the comrades of the General have started to voice their displeasure at the trial of their former Chief in a civilian court and have warned that the army would not tolerate these actions against a General.
Some 500 hundred ex-servicemen, from the rank of General to Major, a former Punjab governor, Naval Chief and DG, IB, had assembled in Lahore last week, to support the former Army Chief, who is facing charges of high treason in a special court. The meeting was spearheaded by DG Rashid Qureshi of Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) and a close aide of the General, under Musharraf’s call of “Pakistan First”.
They voiced their support for the former military ruler, who they consider as a loyal Pakistani, incapable of disloyalty, dishonesty or to act against the national interest and decided to launch a movement to support him and vowed to continue the struggle for his protection, as it was indeed a matter of concern for a soldier, when his army chief was dubbed a traitor and treated him in a manner that was unbecoming a General of the military.
The Special court has stated that the country’s ‘Criminal Procedure Code’ will apply in the treason trial, as such, an out-of-court settlement or plea bargain looks unlikely, thereby dashing the hopes of Musharraf’s supporters, who were expecting the former army chief to be allowed to leave the country for medical treatment and bringing an end to the saga.
So, is this going to be another movement, similar to the one that was launched by the legal fraternity to protect its Chief and restore him as Chief Justice of Pakistan, which eventually turned into a tsunami that swept away the former President and forced him to resign and leave the country?
No doubt, the lawyer’s movement was successful, because it had the support of ordinary citizens and the media, but in Musharraf’s case, the protests at present are confined to his comrades in arms.
However, there are apprehensions that if the General is treated like a common criminal and tried for treason, then such an action could trigger another more powerful tsunami, which could be the sound of the bugle and marching boots, that could sweep Nawaz Sharif’s democratically elected government back to Saudi Arabia.
No doubt, there is no substitute for democracy, but In all fairness, let us examine what our various once, twice and thrice democratically governments have achieved when they have been elected into power.
Did the last, twice elected PPP government manage to improve the quality of life of the ordinary citizens of Pakistan, especially the forgotten ones, who still live without safe water and education, health and basic facilities? Has it provided the citizens a just social order and the much heralded ‘ROTI – KAPRA – MAKAN, which was promised to them by ZAB, the founder of the party?
As such, when the General asks the country to compare the performance of democratically elected governments for the last 50 years, then there is some justification in his bitterness, as each successive civilian government has been as bad as its previous one.
So there we have it, democracy and strict adherence to the constitution or changes in the ‘Sacred Document’, which can keep a check on the performance of a democratically elected government.
We have seen the disastrous results of a corrupt and incompetent government, which was allowed to govern the country for five years, unchecked and without being held accountable and cannot allow another incompetent government to do so again for another five years.
The changes in the Constitution could be in the form of establishing a five member Judicial Council, comprising of Chief Justices of all the four provinces of Pakistan and a retired senior most CJ of Pakistan, with the power to call for fresh elections. Such a change could perhaps stop army interventions, ‘In the Best Interest of the Country’, as have been the case in the past.
The Commando, who has always boasted that he was not afraid of anything except Allah, has once again managed to dodge his day in court, giving his critics an opportunity to suggest that he has ‘chickened out’.
So in his own interest, it would be better if the General proved to the country that he is indeed a Commando and not afraid to face the music, presented himself in the court, leaving his fate in the hands of Allah.
How long will the court allow this game of ‘Catch me if you can’ to go on, is not clear, but the Hon. Judges are duty bound to act according to law, removing the general impression that there is one law for the rich and the powerful and another for the poor and the weak.
At the same time, the Shylock’s of ‘Get Musharraf’ Brigade are sharpening their knives and demanding their pound of flesh, as they hold the General responsible for dragging us into America’s ‘War against terror’, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent citizens and destroyed the nation’s economy.
However, according to Charlie, my singing canary, if the court proceeds according to law, then there are apprehensions that the call of ‘All for one’ might echo through the barracks of Army Headquarters and trigger another military intervention, once again, ‘In the best interest of the country’.
Hamid Maker. (Email: [email protected])
Posted by admin in CURRENT EVENTS on January 8th, 2014
The facts about General (Retd) Syed Pervaiz Musharraf have not been correctly and fully reported in both Pakistani and international media. It is therefore necessary to put on record all the facts.
Musharraf’s father Syed Musharraf uddin was a graduate from Aligarh Muslim University. After graduation he joined the office of the Director General Civil Supplies Government of India in a clerical position. In 1947 he opted for Pakistan and was transferred to the newly established Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Karachi. In 1949 he was posted in the Pakistan Embassy Ankara. On his return from Ankara (in 1956) he progressed in his career retiring as a section officer in the Ministry of Foreign affairs. He was not a member of the Foreign Service.
Musharraf’s mother Begum Zehra Musharraf did her Masters in English literature from Indraprastha College Delhi. After the family’s return from Ankara she joined ILO in a secretarial position and retired in 1986-87.
Pervaiz Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi (Daryagunj). He was four years old when he came to Pakistan with his parents. He was home tutored by a German teacher in Ankara. He is fluent in English and Turkish. On return from Ankara in 1956 he attended Saint Patrick’s High School Karachi and passed the matriculation examination (not O level) in 1958 thereafter, he joined Forman Christian College in Lahore. He did not complete his degree just passed F.Sc.
Musharraf got married in 1968 to Begum Sehba Musharraf and has one son,
Bilal Musharraf, and a daughter, Ayla. Both are married with two
children of their own. His son lives in Boston. His brother also lives in the
United States. Both are US Citizens.
Personal Likes
Musharraf is fond of designer suits (Armani), handmade shoes however; his recent pictures show that he has not kept up to date because he is wearing jackets with broad lapels!! He smokes Cuban cigars, enjoys Pakistani music and the company of friends.
Army Career
In 1961 he entered the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul as a cadet and was commissioned in the Pakistan Artillery in 1964. He is a graduate of the Staff College, Quetta, the National Defense College and the Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom.
On 5, September 1965 General Court Marshal Proceedings were initiated against Musharraf for absenting from duty for a full week without permission but, were squashed due to the attack on Pakistan by India on the morning of 6, September 1965. As a result Musharraf escaped being cashiered from the Army and participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Self Propelled Artillery Regiment and was awarded Imtiazi Sanad for gallantry. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 he fought as a Company Commander in the SSG Commando Battalion.
He has commanded Regiments of Artillery, an Artillery Brigade and then went on to command an Infantry Division. He was promoted Lt. General in 1995 by Benazir Bhutto. In 1998 he was recommended for appointment as COAS by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in supersession of Lieutenant- General Ali Kuli Khan, who was the senior most and the second in line Lieutenant-General Khalid Nawaz Khan.
Relations with General Zia-ul-Haq
After General Zia-ul-Haq’s coup detate on 6, July 1977 Musharraf was chosen for special assignments, he served in District Martial Law Administration HQ. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 Musharraf was involved in the preparation of Mujahedeen for the Jihad in Afghanistan. Zia chose him to command the newly raised SSG base at Khapalu in Siachin area. In 1987 when Musharraf’s name came up for the post of Military Secretary to President Zia-ul-Haq his commanding officer wrote; “he is not at home with pomp and show”. This saved his life because Zia’s military secretary died with him in the air crash in August 1988.
Relations with Benazir Bhutto
In 1988–89, (as Brigadier) Musharraf proposed the Kargil infiltration scheme to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto but she rebuffed the plan. After promotion Major-General Musharraf worked closely with the Chief of Army Staff as Director-General of Pakistan Army’s Directorate General for the Military Operations (DGMO). During this time, Musharraf became close to the Director General of ISI Lieutenant General Javed Nasir and had worked with him while directing operations in the Bosnian war. His political philosophy was influenced by Benazir Bhutto who mentored him on various occasions and he became close to her on military policy issues and India. During 1993–95, Musharraf repeatedly visited the United States as part of Benazir Bhutto’s delegations. It was Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman who lobbied for his promotion to Benazir Bhutto, and subsequently getting his promotion papers approved by Benazir Bhutto which eventually led to his appointment in Benazir Bhutto’s key staff. In 1993, Musharraf personally assisted Benazir Bhutto to have a secret meeting in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C. with officials from Mussad and the special envoy of Israeli premier Yitzhak Rabin. It was during these visits that Musharraf developed extremely cordial relationship with Shaukat Aziz who, at that time, was serving in a very senior position heading the global financial services of the Citibank.
After the collapse of the fractious Afghan government in 1994 Musharraf assisted General Babar and ISI in devising a policy of supporting the newly formed Taliban government in their war against the Northern Alliance.
His Failing Trait
Even a casual glance at what is in public domain reveals that he often acts impulsively without fully evaluating all the possible consequences of his impending action. A few of such well known acts are undernoted.
1) Absenting from duty just before the war in September 1965.
2) The 1998 incursion in Kargil.
3) The reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in March 2007.
4) Declaring emergency on 3, November 2007.
5) The NRO deal with PPP.
In all the above acts Musharraf did not fully evaluate the possible consequences of his action. In 1965 the Court Marshal proceedings were squashed due to the Indian attack on the morning of 6, September 1965. In Kargil India instead of seeking a settlement of Kashmir mobilized the full force of their armed forces. The Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry instead of resigning and accepting a fat job stood firm, the reference failed and he was restored. In declaring the emergency he ignored the Article 6 of the Constitution. With respect to NRO he ignored the possibility of PPP joining hands with PML (N) and initiating impeachment proceedings against him forcing him to resign and go in self exile.
True to form Musharraf returned to Pakistan against (reportedly) the advice of his well wishers and ignored all the cases pending in the courts. It needs to be noted that he has only been granted bail and has not been acquitted in any of these cases. Once again it appears that he ignored all the opinion polls and the fact that Musharraf now faces the tribunal under Article 6 of the Constitution.
November 19, 2013
Posted by admin in Domestic Policy on December 25th, 2013
Straight Talk – The General in the Line of Fire.
General Musharraf, the former dictator, who was the undisputed ruler of Pakistan for over eight years and is the author of the book, ‘In the Line of Fire’, is today, in the line of fire himself, on trial in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. This historical trial of a retired General will begin on 24th of December, where he will face charges, which include five counts of treason.
Some months back, it was inconceivable that such a day would come in this land of the Pak and the Pure, when a retired General, who was once COAS of the army, would stand, hat in hand, in the very court that he had brazenly and unceremoniously dismissed in 2007, humiliating and man handing its Chief. Many still feel that a man, who once wore a uniform, will never be allowed to face humiliation in front of a civilian court.
By holding Musharraf’s trial, the Nawaz Sharif government has taken a risky plunge, as it is bound to take many twists and turns and open a Pandora’s Box as it proceeds, as in his Proclamation of Emergency Order of 2007, Musharraf had named different officers, both civilian and military, as his consultants for the abrogation of the Constitution.
The General’s supporters, who are still many, term the treason trial against the former dictator, as political victimization and have warned of serious consequences, if senior army officers are also drawn into the trial, which is bound to drag on for months and turn messy.
The General is also being accused of dragging Pakistan into the Afghan war. However, let us not forget the hard facts after the deadly 9/11 terrorist attack. At that time, the American President had called the General and given him a one line ultimatum, “Either you are with us or you are against us”.
Many are of the opinion that Pakistan should not have bowed down to that ultimatum and taken a stand, but in doing so, the message to the Americans would have been a plain and simple, that “we were not with you”, which the Americans would have taken as “we are against you” and therefore their enemy.
Such a negative stand would have created a very dangerous and disastrous situation for Pakistan, which we are witnessing in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan. The Americans would have made their threat, that, “they would bomb us back into the stone age”, becoming a reality. And this is exactly what they have done to those countries who have tried to stand up to America and challenged its demands.
Seeing a “no win situation”, the General had been forced to take a pragmatic and safe stand, by accepting the American demands and promising them Pakistan’s full support in its war against terror. And in doing so, Pakistan immediately became the darling of the West and was able to get massive aid for the country.
However, having succeeded in doing so, the General is definitely guilty of allowing this massive aid to be misused and wasted. He had every opportunity to change the course of this unfortunate country and set it on the right track, by implementing his 7-point agenda. But by failing to do so, he destroyed the future of our youth, which is as big a crime as abrogating the Constitution.
Instead of using the funds to improve the quality of life of the forgotten people of Pakistan, by improving the health, education and transport systems in the country and strengthening the institutions, these much needed funds just went down the drain.
After receiving the enormous aid, General Musharraf became a different man and instead of trying to fulfill his 7 point agenda, he pursued his own personal agenda of “Self above all” and stay in power, no matter ever the cost. What followed is history.
Today, the same General stands on trial for treason and his future is in the hands of the very man who he had jailed and sent into forced exile. It is amazing how history repeats itself, sometimes with a sadistic twist.
In Musharraf’s case, he has given his constitutional right to defend himself, while in Nawaz Sharrif was denied this opportunity and was given a one line ultimatum, to leave the country or go to jail.
And at that time, Nawaz had also chosen the pragmatic offer, packed his bag and left the country for Saudi Arabia, but only to return after fourteen years and reclaim his constitutional position as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Musharraf’s fate now lies in the hands of Justices Faisal Arab, Muhammad Yawar Ali and Syeda Tahira Safdar, who form the Special Court. The prosecution lawyers feel that it is an open and shut case as, “The way Musharraf violated the Constitution, is amply documented, just like all the main illegal orders issued by him on November 3, 2007 are formally notified in the official gazette and are indisputable”.
Each of these documents constitutes the high treason charges, as all these notifications involve the abrogation of the 1973 Constitution by him alone and in all these cases, Musharraf is the signing authority. Then, there is the clear-cut Supreme Court judgment handed down on July 31, 2009, which holds Musharraf guilty of violating the Constitution.
According to the legal eagles, Musharraf will be the first military ruler in Pakistan’s 66 year history to be tried for high treason, a crime punishable by the death or life imprisonment. The decision has raised many questions, including the timing of the trial, especially when the country is facing a serious challenge from the Taliban militants and a power and economic crisis.
Political pundits and skeptics are already of the opinion that this historical trial will never be allowed to reach its logical conclusion, as the army will not allow its former Chief to be humiliated in a civilian court.
Therefore, what will be the fate of the former dictator is not clear, but at least it has set a precedent, that no one is above the law and everyone is accountable. This very fact should be a deterrent for any other General and force him to think twice before dismissing a civilian government and seizing power, even if it is “in the best interest of the country”, the usual explanation to justify this illegal act by the Generals.
( Also Published: The Nation, Sunday, 22nd December, 2013)
Posted by ali rehan munir in Dictators Gallery on April 21st, 2013
© 2024, All Rights Reserved by Pakistan Think Tank.
