Of course, he made mistakes but he was well intentioned.
KARACHI: I cannot refute the fact that during the Commando’s era, economic conditions were much better. The economy, in general, was doing well; there were more jobs and businesses were recording higher profits; our literacy rate improved by 11 per cent during his rule.
Pervez Musharraf can also be hailed as the liberator of the media; being a dictator, he was the only one who seemed confident enough of himself and his countrymen to have given Pakistanis the freedom of speech. In all the troubled times, he performed an excellent balancing act. Of course, he made mistakes but he was well intentioned. The mistakes he committed instigated social and political turmoil.
However, I believe that questioning his loyalty to the country is unfair. Did we ever question the loyalty of those who served the British Raj before they started serving the land of the pure? Musharraf served the country in good faith and if he committed a few mistakes along the way, they should not be projected as traitorous acts.
Tuba Athar
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2013.
