The Need To Question
The News International
May 5, 2006
By Masooda Bano
General Musharraf's interviews with the western press are a must read though not necessarily for their content. The unique choice of words and blunt claims make each interview a classic. In his recent interview with The Guardian, his claims that he had "teeth" to bite back -- "Yes sir, I personally do. A lot of teeth. Sometimes the teeth do not have to be shown. Pragmatism is required in international relations," -- makes one wonder whether such statements are a deliberate choice or careless slippages by a leader too assured of himself.
But, issues of style put aside, the current interview did have important content: General Musharraf's admission that his popularity is going down. Such a statement from a leader, especially a military ruler, is always encouraging as given that they are surrounded by sycophants that mostly stay detached from reality. However, the pity is that despite this realisation, General Musharraf shows no willingness to reanalyse his policies; rather he further advocates and defends them. Also, he continues to claim to be the only one bestowed with the insight of knowing what is best for Pakistanis. It is, therefore, important to go through the limitations of the policies that he defended in the interview.
Being questioned on the key concerns within Pakistan, General Musharraf justified the use of military force in Waziristan. He added that there was a growing problem of "Talibanisation" in Waziristan. However, he refused to acknowledge that the military operations could have played a role in it. At the start of the military operations, there were concerns around militants hiding in the tribal belts. However, now after the operations, the area has Taliban ruling the area. Over 150 tribal elders have lost their lives at the hands of these rebels.
The situation is out of the government's control. Is the situation in Waziristan in any terms better than what it was before the military operations? The answer is clearly no. All along people familiar with the area have argued in favour of the use of intelligence and other means to gradually cleanse the system of foreign extremists. However, the government still pursues military operations and continues to defend them despite the fact that General Musharraf himself is acknowledging a growing "Talibanisation" in the area.
In the same way, General Musharraf defended the military operations in Balochistan. "So what revolt are you talking about? People talk about an East Pakistan situation," he said, and added, "I understand strategy. These people are pygmies." Again, the interesting point is that he realises public concerns about the situation in Balochistan coming close to that of East Pakistan, yet again the worrying aspect is his complete dismissal of the critiques. It is he alone who understands the strategy required to deal with Baloch leaders.
However, the continued tension in the area clearly does not reflect a mature strategy, nor does his statement provide any justification for operations that continue to kill civilians, apart from the claim that he knows it to be the best option. As for labelling the Baloch dissidents as "pygmies" one can only wonder how leaders seem to develop an innate right to classify people as they like.
Not surprisingly, in the interview he also defended his decision to stay in power. "It is ironic that I'm sitting in uniform talking of democracy ... but to bring democracy into Pakistan I thought I needed it," he said. However, what is there to show that his staying in power has improved Pakistan on any front. If his popularity, as admitted by him, has decreased, then clearly his tenure has not brought that economic boom, that political stability, or that security of life from sectarian violence, which the Pakistani society desperately craves.
If his government has failed to deliver on all these fronts then how can he continue to believe that his staying in power is essential for Pakistan? What is there to justify his claim that he is holding on to power for the betterment of Pakistan and not just out of personal ambition?
General Musharraf also defended the political system he has created and was convinced that a leader will emerge from within the system. However, can any other claim be more far removed from reality? Who will emerge as a leader from the political system created by General Musharraf? Shaukat Aziz, a prime minister who has no political constituency, or the Chaudhary brothers?
Above all, throughout the interview General Musharraf's main attempt was to show that he is not at the beck and call of the US government. "When you are talking about fighting terrorism or extremism, I'm not doing that for the US or Britain. I'm doing it for Pakistan," he said. But, if that is actually the case, then what explains the major investment in military operations in the tribal belts. What percentage of the population actually lives in the tribal belts? Further, historically how integrated has this area ever been into the mainstream political system? Why is the state suddenly investing so heavily in the operations in Waziristan?
If these operations are not at the behest of the US then why have so many attacks been planned just before or after the arrival of a high ranking US official? The question is that if the government is free to set its own priorities then why is it not investing even half of those resources to track and monitor the militant groups involved in domestic sectarian violence? Why is no serious investigation carried out after a major incidence of religious violence in the mainland -- the recent one being in Karachi?
This is not to say that rising militancy in the tribal belts has no links to the sectarian violence in the country in general, but to argue that the focus is on the wrong issues and strategies because they are based on external demands rather than a genuine analysis of the domestic problems is an issue. If General Musharraf does actually realise that his popularity is going down then it will serve him well to attempt to understand the causes of this. Continued resistance to engaging with alternative viewpoints will lead his government nowhere.
The writer is an Islamabad based development analyst currently doing a PhD at Oxford
Email: mb294@hotmail.com
May 5, 2006
By Masooda Bano
General Musharraf's interviews with the western press are a must read though not necessarily for their content. The unique choice of words and blunt claims make each interview a classic. In his recent interview with The Guardian, his claims that he had "teeth" to bite back -- "Yes sir, I personally do. A lot of teeth. Sometimes the teeth do not have to be shown. Pragmatism is required in international relations," -- makes one wonder whether such statements are a deliberate choice or careless slippages by a leader too assured of himself.
But, issues of style put aside, the current interview did have important content: General Musharraf's admission that his popularity is going down. Such a statement from a leader, especially a military ruler, is always encouraging as given that they are surrounded by sycophants that mostly stay detached from reality. However, the pity is that despite this realisation, General Musharraf shows no willingness to reanalyse his policies; rather he further advocates and defends them. Also, he continues to claim to be the only one bestowed with the insight of knowing what is best for Pakistanis. It is, therefore, important to go through the limitations of the policies that he defended in the interview.
Being questioned on the key concerns within Pakistan, General Musharraf justified the use of military force in Waziristan. He added that there was a growing problem of "Talibanisation" in Waziristan. However, he refused to acknowledge that the military operations could have played a role in it. At the start of the military operations, there were concerns around militants hiding in the tribal belts. However, now after the operations, the area has Taliban ruling the area. Over 150 tribal elders have lost their lives at the hands of these rebels.
The situation is out of the government's control. Is the situation in Waziristan in any terms better than what it was before the military operations? The answer is clearly no. All along people familiar with the area have argued in favour of the use of intelligence and other means to gradually cleanse the system of foreign extremists. However, the government still pursues military operations and continues to defend them despite the fact that General Musharraf himself is acknowledging a growing "Talibanisation" in the area.
In the same way, General Musharraf defended the military operations in Balochistan. "So what revolt are you talking about? People talk about an East Pakistan situation," he said, and added, "I understand strategy. These people are pygmies." Again, the interesting point is that he realises public concerns about the situation in Balochistan coming close to that of East Pakistan, yet again the worrying aspect is his complete dismissal of the critiques. It is he alone who understands the strategy required to deal with Baloch leaders.
However, the continued tension in the area clearly does not reflect a mature strategy, nor does his statement provide any justification for operations that continue to kill civilians, apart from the claim that he knows it to be the best option. As for labelling the Baloch dissidents as "pygmies" one can only wonder how leaders seem to develop an innate right to classify people as they like.
Not surprisingly, in the interview he also defended his decision to stay in power. "It is ironic that I'm sitting in uniform talking of democracy ... but to bring democracy into Pakistan I thought I needed it," he said. However, what is there to show that his staying in power has improved Pakistan on any front. If his popularity, as admitted by him, has decreased, then clearly his tenure has not brought that economic boom, that political stability, or that security of life from sectarian violence, which the Pakistani society desperately craves.
If his government has failed to deliver on all these fronts then how can he continue to believe that his staying in power is essential for Pakistan? What is there to justify his claim that he is holding on to power for the betterment of Pakistan and not just out of personal ambition?
General Musharraf also defended the political system he has created and was convinced that a leader will emerge from within the system. However, can any other claim be more far removed from reality? Who will emerge as a leader from the political system created by General Musharraf? Shaukat Aziz, a prime minister who has no political constituency, or the Chaudhary brothers?
Above all, throughout the interview General Musharraf's main attempt was to show that he is not at the beck and call of the US government. "When you are talking about fighting terrorism or extremism, I'm not doing that for the US or Britain. I'm doing it for Pakistan," he said. But, if that is actually the case, then what explains the major investment in military operations in the tribal belts. What percentage of the population actually lives in the tribal belts? Further, historically how integrated has this area ever been into the mainstream political system? Why is the state suddenly investing so heavily in the operations in Waziristan?
If these operations are not at the behest of the US then why have so many attacks been planned just before or after the arrival of a high ranking US official? The question is that if the government is free to set its own priorities then why is it not investing even half of those resources to track and monitor the militant groups involved in domestic sectarian violence? Why is no serious investigation carried out after a major incidence of religious violence in the mainland -- the recent one being in Karachi?
This is not to say that rising militancy in the tribal belts has no links to the sectarian violence in the country in general, but to argue that the focus is on the wrong issues and strategies because they are based on external demands rather than a genuine analysis of the domestic problems is an issue. If General Musharraf does actually realise that his popularity is going down then it will serve him well to attempt to understand the causes of this. Continued resistance to engaging with alternative viewpoints will lead his government nowhere.
The writer is an Islamabad based development analyst currently doing a PhD at Oxford
Email: mb294@hotmail.com
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