No one in his right mind can say that his rule was worse than the tamasha that goes on in today’s Pakistan.
LONDON: Much is being said and commented on General Pervez Musharraf’s launch of his political party. I think everyone has the right to have their say but they should do it in light of the facts. For instance, he did not topple Nawaz Sharif’s government — the latter tried to prevent the aircraft carrying him from landing.
As for Pakistan siding with the American right after 9/11, something that Musharraf’s critics accuse him of, I would like to ask them what other options was there? The Lal Masjid operation was directly under the command of General Kayani and during it a number of Special Services Group commandos and officers were killed by the heavily-armed ‘students’ of Lal Masjid.
Nawab Akbar Bugti is on record to have declared war against the army in Balochistan and personally chose to fight like a warrior and lost his life in the process. Bank loans may have been written off during his government but that is the responsibility of the State Bank of Pakistan.
No one in his right mind can say that his rule – up to 2006 at least – was worse than the tamasha that goes on in today’s Pakistan.
Iftikhar Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2010.
