Saudi foreign minister Saud alFaisal shakes hands with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad. PHOTO: PID
The assertion from the Saudi foreign minister that he was merely on a ‘friendly visit’ to the country does not carry much weight under the circumstances. The advice to Islamabad regarding not ‘destabilising’ matters adds to this perception. Intervention in our internal matters from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not new and hence Prince Saud’s statement needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The cries of sovereignty and related matters we hear when Washington is referred to do not seem to go up. There are different rules for different countries. A Saudi rescue of General (retd) Musharraf would be ironic. Just around 14 years ago, the Saudis had whisked away, from the prison cell where he had been placed by General (retd) Musharraf, a certain man named Mian Nawaz Sharif. Mr Sharif’s government continues to insist there will be no deal.
But deep down, we know the power the Saudis wield, and the fact that the final call may well lie with them, even if this means a trial that could bring up many key issues and establish important precedents in a country ruled by the military for most of its 66 years may never reach a conclusion. For us, as a nation, this is bad news.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2014.
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The success during the transition stage of democracy in Pakistan must, in order to strengthen its institutions, bring the judiciary and in this case Musharraf to task. There is no justification for the judiciary to back coup d'tats, and take overs of government under flimsy excuses by the military. Until there is serious questioning/trials of some, the establishment will not change its ways; vested interests will continue to flourish, including the interference of Saudi Arabia/other third parties in internal matters of Pakistan. The gravest being all the rotten madrassahs in the country financed by the Saudis that spread evil amongst disgruntled or poverty stricken, unemployed youth. Rather than try dialogue with hardened criminals as some politicians demand, it is time the law be applied harshly against those responsible for killing innocent lives, and destruction of resources. Unless we have a by and large honest judiciary as in the past, this will not take place. Our police officers are being killed off like flies, it is time for Pakistanis to demand change that will benefit the nation as a whole. No interference in its internal politics, politicians ought to take note of the country's voters' demands. The top of the list is being fed up with terrorism and killings, youth unemployment, corruption.. perhaps not in this order...
Normally Saudis do not come by themselves, they act as messenger of the mighty (not Almighty) Let us see what they have decided for a man they would want silenced; as he has a lot of info and speaks forcefully about Pakistan.He loves Pakistan and I have in the last 60 or so years have not heard anyone else defend Pakistan so forcefully on the world stage. The last one was Liaquat Ali Khan and we all know what happened to him.
What the master wants, he gets.
Musharraf's trial for treason should not exclude the original sin of October 1999 when the civilian setup was booted out. The wise judges of the Supreme Court took fresh oath under Musharraf's new dispensation and happily went along with military rule for the next eight years. An exposition of what happened in 1999, how did it happen, and how the senior judiciary aided and abetted the "treasonous" act will be a fairer and fuller trial than the one now in motion. As somebody has recently said that Pakistan is still licking the wounds inflicted by the Supreme Court's judgment re the "doctrine of necessity" in the Tamizuddin case. It is no secret that the father of this evil judgment, the late Justice Mohammad Munir, was frequently a member of the "shikaar" expeditions led by Ayub Khan and other military men. While holding the military accountable for abrogating the country's constitution, and holding it in abeyance for expedient reasons, the role of the superior judiciary as an accomplice in this crime should also be examined microscopically.