I was part of the 12 Alumni of the National Defence University, Islamabad, that the General had agreed to meet at his residence on November 9. Warm and welcoming, he conducted an hour-long interactive session with us that remained full of intellect and ideas. Truth be told, he seemed at peace with himself. The manner in which he answered our questions was very much illustrative of his style of leadership: principled without being offensive, grand and philosophical without being ideological, objective and forceful without being doctrinaire.
When asked to point out the three important things that he thought he should not have done during his rule, he listed the passing of the NRO, the selection of General Kayani as army chief and the poor handling of the chief justice affair. However, he was sure of the appropriateness of the grounds on which he called for the former chief justice’s resignation, but regretted all the follow-up actions that translated into the lawyers’ movement.
About Imran Khan and the future of his tsunami, he was not very hopeful. Identifying arrogance and ignorance as the two vital deficiencies in any political leader, he implied that Imran Khan possessed both. He was not particularly impressed with the current solo political flight that Imran Khan and his party are undertaking. Without political reforms, General Musharraf considered “his style of politics” and the deliverables that he was promising, least likely to see the “political daylight”.
The General’s idea of addressing Pakistan’s current political woes was simple: setting up an empowered interim government. His description of empowerment was a government that was “military backed”, as well as “judiciary backed”. He opined that unless such a government was formed and undertook the all necessary political reforms, the next elections will again be as inconsequential in bringing any change as has been the case with all previous elections. He advocated that the most suitable role that the military could perform during the current political crisis was that of “the force in being”. Its best utility was to remain as the “power in waiting”, which has the ability to address political errors, but should not actually do so. Given the current circumstances, the military, he suggested, should not usurp power as the chances of the nation reaping the rewards of such a decision are too less compared with the strong chances of failure.
At a personal level, he felt betrayed by General Kayani. He agreed that the absence of the “military commanders resolve” was an important factor in General Kayani’s inability to initiate the much-delayed military operation in North Waziristan. In his opinion, if such an operation had taken place earlier, the military would have dismantled and destroyed the “nerve centre of the terrorists” long ago, thus preventing the great losses that both the military and the nation suffered.
Undoubtedly, sab say pehlay Pakistan (putting the country first), was the nucleus around which he built his responses and presented his point of view. Hence, none of us, for even a moment doubted the General’s love for the country. Yet, the fact remains that the position he rose to in the military may earn him the title of being an able and competent general, but the many political errors that he committed during his military rule suggest that he lacked the craft needed to be a successful politician.
His worst folly, though, was to try being a soldier and politician simultaneously. His critics believe that he was not good at being either, but many admirers judge the man for who he is: the former president of Pakistan who, when he had the chance, didn’t wield his authority effectively enough to create a Pakistan that he really wanted. This, today, should be his biggest regret.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2014.
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@Imran Nazimabadi: How naive Mr. Kiyani was part & parcel of covert dealings with PPP and his family enjoyed substential favors during last PPP regime.
@ishrat salim: " Generals are evaluated differently…" That is because the nation has different perspectives. "Same way Gen M also saved Pakistan after 9/11 when he agreed to side with the Americans," But sold Pakistan very cheaply. Also, Musharraf could have gotten OBL and handed it to the ICC and thus could have tried to take away the pretext of invading Afghanistan. And, one of the worst things that Musharraf did was to give protection to the corrupt through the NRO. That is totally unforgivable. Thanks that the SC finally got rid of it. @YesSirNoSir "Perhaps, Today’s geo-political conditions could have been different if Western Powers had not dumped us… to deal with the mess, soon after we did their dirty job." It was our war and our "mess" their interests coincided with ours and they helped. It was our duty to clean our own mess.
@No sir: Under the current war-on-terrorism, resulting bloodshed make me wonder how worst it could have gotten if Russians were in Afghanistan with their other "friends" from our both sides. Russians made a heavy mistake and refrettably paid by loosing huge chunks their most prized lands & their Super Power status. Perhaps, Today's geo-political conditions could have been different if Western Powers had not dumped us... to deal with the mess, soon after we did their dirty job.
@No sir:
Same way Gen M also saved Pakistan after 9/11 when he agreed to side with the Americans, yet both the Generals are evaluated differently...
@ishrat salim: "No Sir, no…after Gen Yahya it was Gen Zia who destroyed this country most." The topic was really about Musharraf. Yahya was mentioned in passing. You brought in Zia in a big way. Despite whatever you write about the negatives about Zia, truthfully, one should appreciate his contribution in keeping the Soviets at bay in Afghanistan and saving Pakistan. If Pakistan would have been occupied by the Soviets we would have lost our freedom, which is more precious as compared to all the problems you list. There is a certain lobby with great influence in the media that has overdone Zia bashing and has distorted the true narrative of the Zia years. Many have fallen victims to its influence and brain washing. So I do not blame you.
@No sir:
No Sir, no...after Gen Yahya it was Gen Zia who destroyed this country most. It was Zia who supported the Americans to such an extent that we invited 3 million Afghan refugees & even today 2 million are still there. Alongwith the Afghans came in drugs, klashinkovs & the talibans. It was during Zia that numerous un-registered madrasas were allowed to grow & Jihadists were churning out in thousands in the cover of fighting Soviets. Even to this day we have thousands of madrasas which are hotbed of terrorist. It was during Zia, that patronized mullahs which have become a menace & openly supports terrorist group & we can do nothing about it...can we ? because it was during Zia that our religion Islam was commercialized to such an extent that even if we tried we will never be able to come out of the mess we are in TODAY..Gen M was a liberal, otherwise, he would not have given us the free media, we are enjoying today & commenting like we are doing today. Why all these democracy loving people did not allow " free media " during their rule, which is one of the main pillar of " democracy " ? democracy will suite us, when we make ourselves free from wadera & feudal system, when people from rural areas - who constitute 53 % vote are freed from the clutch of these waderas & feudals...that day call yourself " democracy "...which articles from the so-called sacred " Constitution " do these Parliamentarians follow ? have they yet introduced locl govt system, which is as per constitution ? at least Gen M did that, have these Parliamentarians / politicians, provided free education as per constitution ? are peoples right protected, do these poor people get justice as per constitution ? so what democracy are you talking about...?
@Zaka: Along with Yahya, Musharraf was one of the "leaders" that did most harm to Pakistan. Get your facts straight.
After all the damage that Musharraf did some still think that he was the best that Pakistan had. That is simply travesty of truth. Truthfully, Musharraf was a dictator, demagogue, demigod, and a destroyer of democracy.
gen. Musharraf was a successful soldier and a great leader. he is the only leader who is sincere with Pakistan. people who don't like him know that if he became PM of Pakistan their misdeeds will be treated badly. we support Gen. Musharraf and pak forces.
@Raju:
He is not claiming for indemnity in contrast to those judges who had taken oath including the ex judge Mr Ifthekhar, whom the parliament has given indemnity in 2008...that is why there is no case against Gen M on this more serious charge than Nov 2007. Gen M is demanding to include all those members who were consulted to impose emergency on Nov 2007...
& by the way are these democracy loving guys following any of the articles of the constitution which you claim so sacred etc; all of them should also not be tried as per article 6 of the constitution ?
Musharraf is the best leader Pakistan ever had.
@Yasir: The fools paradise is to believe that society needs to be perfect and for all to be educated in order for democracy to function. You should travel a bit and see how how "educated" voters cast their ballots in Western countries. Often they have only one key topic that catches their fancy or they just like or dislike a certain candidate. Nothing more. the key to the West's prosperity and stability is that they don't mess with the imperfect democratic system but just continue along with it, warts and all. You think that Indians are any better educated or more prosperous than Pakistanis which explains their democracy. Guess again, my Indian friends tell me about rampant corruption and irregularities but they have the common sense not to rock the boat because they know the alternative is to be another Iraq, Egypt, Syria or Libya.
If only the NRO (The National Reconciliation Ordinance) is taken into consideration, it would suffice to prove that Musharraf perpetuated and institutionalized corruption, including embezzlement and money laundering. It benefited thousands, including leading politicians, and bureaucrats. This single act (though finally revoked and declared unconstitutional in December 2009 by the Supreme Court), which gave cover to massive and unprecedented corruption and fraud is enough to prove how morally and politically corrupt Musharraf was. It was promulgated to so that Musharraf could share power with the resulting political dispensation. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NationalReconciliationOrdinance
@sterry: Please allow me to disagree with you Sir , It is saddening that people are still obsessed with so called democracy. I am not sure whether it is something to wear, eat ,drink or to sleep on for that matter . The country was peaceful, prosperous and progressive under his rule. Foreign exchange was flowing in, economy was booming . Only a few days ago Mr Ramjeth Milani, head of Indian Kashmir committee acknowledged that Musharraf's proposed peace plan was the most workable and the best ever he had seen. He is a statesman, respected and appreciated all over the world. People invite him for his word of wisdom , even arch enemy India holds him in high esteem , he has been invited to deliver lectures at least three times in India. So please stop criticizing him just for the sake of criticism , it won't confer anyone the status of an intellectual . He has been a loyal servant of the country ... a true patriot !
@Naim: "...no one can accuse Musharraf of being corrupt and prove it..." Corruption is not limited to financial corruption only. It is much wider phenomena. Musharraf's usurpation of power was a case of moral and political corruption since he had no right to it. Okay, for a moment let us grant that Musharraf deserved it for whatever reason, then how was Musharraf morally upright to continue to rule for about nine years? Then again, even if we grant that Musharraf was not corrupt financially then how would one explain his compromise with the financially corrupt as evidenced by the NRO? Is it not corrupt to cooperate with the corrupt, especially for one in power who was supposed to try them legally for corruption and punish them as per law?
Mush rose to the occasion for the Nation, took brave actions against all "enemies" of the state. He definitely was not a politician, at all. He left power when current forces at that time asked him to. All his acts and actions were 100% the Call of the Hearts of the Masses, except of-course NS, his extended family!
@Jawaid: Musharraf has been the highest paid Pakistani speaker on the international lecture circuit, he bought a modest 2 bedroom apartment for 1.2 million pounds in 2009,described modest by journalist's who interviewed him there,hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis settled in the U.S.A,U.K own properties worth million dollars/pounds and above,Musharraf being highly prolific ex army chief/president of Pakistan is entitled to having property abroad,unlike most of the corrupt politicians,no one can accuse Musharraf of being corrupt and prove it,baseless propaganda.
@excalibur: Musharraf: 1) Subverted the Constitution. 2) Prolonged dictatorial rule after usurping power and kept democracy at bay for an extended period of time. 3) Jailed sixty Judges, something not even the worst dictators did, including Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. Do you have proof otherwise?
@Sialkot wala: Your response shows that you cannot tolerate anyone questioning the right of a general to rule a nation. According to you, the country is "miserable and ungrateful" because it refuses to let a military officer subvert the constitution and take over is it? I have always wondered why it is that some people in the military think they have a monopoly on patriotism. I have the greatest respect for the armed forces and their sacrifices. Members of my family have fought for the nation too. Remembrance Day was just celebrated in the West but none of the soldiers and generals who served feel that they have a right to take over their nations, whether in UK, Canada, US or Australia. They feel that they did their duty the same way doctors, teachers, social workers and others all contribute to society. When I see these retired western soldiers who fought for years in a savage war speak of fighting of uphold democracy, I wonder why some people like Sialkot wala feel that donning a uniform and fighting in a war is a licence to take over illegally.I too have served my nation as a teacher so that that give me a right to take over by force? I think not.
All those crowing about Kargil here must be Indians. I would like to say to all of them: get over it and move on. FYI - before your prime minister went crying to the US President Bill Clinton Pakistan had the upper hand in Kargil and militarily speaking it could have isolated your army from kashmir. Truth hurts and that's why Indians cannot forget about Kargil. Musharraf is a Pakistani hero and your complaints of Kargil will fall on deaf ears for most of us.
Observer & GP 65
Put your money where your mouth is. Specify the facts do not perpetuate white lies and shameless propaganda.
Repeating lies will not be accepted as the truth
@Rasheed: your "sir" is one the most corrupt politicians from Pakistan, just like his predecessors "sirs" Ziaul and Ayub. Atleast the politicians you deride as corrupt were well off before entering politics while your "sirs" made loot and plunder during their tenures. How else can you explain lota Ayub's business empire, Ziaul's and mush's decedents thriving abroad, not to mention Mush properties in Dubai and London and that of his children in USA?
@Taseer Siddiqui: A thief (mush) breaks into your house, murders your son(constitution) and extracts a pardon from you and your family(parliament/judiciary) at gunpoint and then claims he has indemnity from being tried. Now that is a sweet argument.
"Yet, the fact remains that the position he rose to in the military may earn him the title of being an able and competent general, but the many political errors that he committed during his military rule suggest that he lacked the craft needed to be a successful politician."
So you feel that undermining the elected PM and doing Kargill was sign of a competent general. Being unwilling to even acept the dead bodies of soldiers who died at your bidding thus denying them a state funeral was also a sign of competent general.
He also does not see that handcuffing an elected PM, and doing what he did with Akbar Bugti - a former elected CM was a problem.
Refusing to allow Nawaz Sharif to attend his father's funeral and how he handled Akbar Bugti's coffin were all mark of a gentleman according to you I guess.
Interesting opinion.
Musharraf had an agenda. He wanted to destroy the ethos of the majority of the people of Pakistan. To some extent he did succeed.
Just one example of how devious propaganda machines can be.
Please read the truth about who, why and when people were handed over to the Americans.
No Pakistanis were handed over by Musharraf at all and his book is categorical on this but what gained currency especially among the Right Wing fundos shows how shallow and evil one can get just to malign an honest patriot meaning well for Pakistan
People do not bother to cross check from the source itself. Shame
It was during the Gen M rule, that the country was growing at 7+ % growth. And figures can be confirmed from WB / IMF site. He never passed the buck on the shoulder of NS rule of 1999 like our politicians do now. He did not reverse motorway projects initiated by NS in 1990, because he was a visionary & accepted all those projects which was in interest of the country. He is the only leader who has at least accepted his weakness and regrets unlike our present leaders.
Compare all the datas from past to present and we must have courage to accept what is right. It was he & not one general or politicians of the past who had the guts to give us free media...a media who was also responsible to shake up his govt & he does not regret a bit.
Was dollar that high, was prices of all essential items that high, was that law & order that bad, was energy problem that bad, was PIA & Pak Steel in such a bad shape..what is in positive TODAY ? remittances high NOW, reason , because expats hv to send more because of high inflation rate not because of love for the country ! in short for those who are against Gen M....advise you all to go & ask a poor people in the street..." are they happy now today for the past 6 years or before that "...you will get your answer & that should be the yardstick to judge who is a better leader ? if people are satisfied that means leader is working ok, otherwise just try to convince people in the street...you all will get your answer, because honest answer will come from the people of the street not we. It is they & those in rural area who elects these politicians to power...go & listen to their wows & try to give them lecture on democracy in favor of dictator...answer...they do not care who comes, they need 2 square meal & clean water for their families, electricity for them & factory to run for employment, security for life, are these available now ?
President Musharraf is the best thing ever happened to Pakistan. He is a true reformer and a nationalist who saved Pakistan when it was at a risk of two front war and transformed the challenges into opportunities after 9/11. He is the only statesman who emancipated the women of Pakistan, freed the minorities, empowered the youth, turned around the economy, brought about higher education revolution, banking and telecom revolution. He ensured progress of the state and welfare of the nation that has no precedents.
Pakistan First
Long Live the president
there is no doubt that this general was a military dictator in the ultimate analysis
did this article mention handling of lal masjid issue that backfired and resulted into countless suicide bombing and car bombing killing of hundreds of people and providing fuel to the fire of militancy.
he saz poor handling of CJ issue, no it was not poor handling but flagrant violation of constitution.
NRO was his worst creation
There are still some delusional people here passing out conspiracy theories against Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf is a true leader,an honest man and a visionary. He knows where he made errors and admits them. He gave immense prosperity to the country,all the facts and figures are there but our blind,arrogant and mislead nation will still criticise him for the things he didn't do.
The lond plan is absolute nonsense,a farce and just goes to show how low people can go in defaming a true patriot like Pervez Musharraf.
Shame on those that are maligning Musharraf.
For all detractors of Musharraf a simple advice. Just read up his book In the Lime of Fire written in 2006 and see the truth of all he stood for and what has actually transpired since then to validate his sincerity and love for Pakistan
A man to respect
His venom against Akbar Bugti ,handling Baluchistan the way he did, his personal indulgence with lal Masjid episode were far too monumental blunders which he is not even ready to accept even at this point when the country has not been able to get out of their effects , He was obsessed to cling to power the way he imposed provisional constitution order in November 2007 ,as Chief of Army Staff . He is now pleading for vicarious liability of other peers who were certainly not answerable to COAS . His repentance to appoint General Kayani as the new chief is understandable but this repentance is a shining example of our history , starting with appointment of Gen .Zia and Gen . Musharaf , who would repent about it more than Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif .
The worst decision of his career was misadventure in Kargil.But he doesn't think so.That pretty much tells you his depth of intellect and love for his country! He didn't feel responsible for waste of Northern Light Infantrty.That is , a general who throws away his jawan's life for his hare brained battle plan? And still doesn't realise it.Preposterous. He deserves what fate has for him,humiliation of charge of treason.He will go down in Pakistan's history as only COAS tried for treason.A befitting fate for such arrogance!
@Asim: Former President Musharraf may not be tried for subverting the Constitution on October 1999 as the Parliament under Shaukat Aziz had validated this act.
He cannot be forgiven for his covert negotiations with PPP & passing of NRO. That was last nail in the coffin of democracy and country is still facing repercussions. It was a set-up which he never understood as he was also obsessed with his "me" philosophy
Nice article here. Politicians in Pakistan need to learn social skills from General Pervez Musharraf. He usurped the constitution, was instrumental in the Kargil disaster and did NOT take on the beards as many would have liked. His life and leadership skills are indeed complicated. But in spite of his failures, he continues to be liked by many Pakistanis to this day because he always displays a level of confidence which they would like to see in a leader.
Reason for hating Gen Kiyani is quite obvious, Kiyani resisted Musharraf's sinister & notorious plan details of and now slowly coming out i.e. "London Plan" which called for. winding up a democratically elected govt(which at that time was PPP lead Zardari govt) and replacing it with “military backed”, as well as “judiciary backed” empowered(illegal & unconstitutional) interim government which would have ruled the country for 8 to 10 years just like Musharaf's own illegal tenure.
After Gen Kiyani was gone Musharraf again used his influence within his juniors in military and again attempted to revive his notorious plan against PMLN lead govt and carried out these dhrana drama and once again failed miserably in achieving his nefarious goals. Bottom line is that he should stop considering himself as saviour of Pakistan,circumstances made him Pakistan's ruler in past,but now once again by hook or by crook he wants to rule Pakistan,which isn't going to ever happen,so he should stop trying!
@Humza: And people like you hide from reality and live in fools paradise, parliamentary democracy can only function in a society where people are free from any kind of intimidation. People are educated enough to make sane decisions.
@sterry: The very narrow, naive rhetoric that has been proven wrong. in particular "Much of our current problems including lack of energy, instability, terrorism and poor economic governance can be traced to Musharraf’s misrule." What argument do you have for this nonsense, what are the parameters based on which you gave your judgement, for past seven years we saw only misery, so called democracy brought us nothing, and will not bring us anything even if we repeat the exercise for another 1000 years.
And lets get our facts straight, Turkey tried its generals only after establishing and delivering to the people. Also if you had the sense to follow the whole thing Erdogen made sure that only Generals were tried and no harm to the integrity of the Army institution may ever come.
@sterry: You hate Musharraf. Just remember and don't forget, Kayani aided and abetted Musharraf. He is the poster boy, for all the aiders and abetters. He was the cup bearer. The second in command. Musharraf was helped and backed by a plethora of thugs who helped him stay in power. These have since absconded, or disappeared or changed allegiances or parties and what not. He could not have done it alone. Musharraf is just a tired old general, who fought in 3 wars for this miserable ungrateful, country. Sure, as he admits, he made some wrong decisions.
Ex President has contributed significantly in sectors like health, higher education, tele-communication media, and a lot of key infrastructure projects like DBD dam etc. However, the writer has rightly summed up his follies as passing of the NRO, the selection of Kayani as army chief and the poor handling of the ex-CJ affair.
Apart from NRO, Gen Kayani selection as COAS, Badly handled CJ case his fourth mistake was referendum to stay in power for next 5 years. Like other dictators he got 8 years the end result was zero In fact there is no leader in Pakistan who can steer the country out of crisis. We have collection of corrupt people who can never change themselves. Solution lies in major surgery, we need Khumaini type personality to clean the mess Lastly writer has been rather mild with Musharraf thus failed to create proper balance
"War On Terror" and "Kargil"; his enduring legacies, his foreign and military affairs prowess were conspicuous by their absence! It is redundant to ask why but they will continue to "give" for generations to come, no doubt!
Sir very well written.
@MSS: Your type of attitude is why Muslim societies are run by dictators, kings and despots. You can't understand why it is important for parliamentary democracy to be supreme and you shower praise on someone who seizes power illegally instead of earns it throw the ballot.
People who lack conscience, who are incapable of self reflection, narcissistic self-lovers, incapable of examining the evils they have perpetrated are usually completely at peace with themselves. No surprises here.
Sir,you are honest and not corrupt and greedy like others. In Pakistan only corrupt rules and Pakistani people are corrupt too.
Well, the General never talked about Kargil. He should also realize that Gen. Kayani was not his orderly. He is not only arrogant and ignorant but also living in a fools paradise.
Seems like every President/PM regrets selecting their COAS.
Can the self appointed President answer questions about his wealth - properties in London, Dubai, Pakistan make you think it is Musharraf first not Pakistan.
The man subverted the constitution through his influence over the institution he headed and broke the law of land, just like any petty thief, dacoit, pick-pocket or murderer. He was a self proclaimed chief executive officer and president and does not deserve to be called "former president of Pakistan".
I am completely at a loss for why and how the author holds Musharraf in such high esteem. His Kargil misadventure alone makes Musharraf the worst general, commando and the enemy of the state. He deserves to be tried for treason.
It is impossible for any one to have complete control of every thing in Pakistan even if you are a military dictator. Pakistni's are master in disagreeing with evrything,not reaching a concensus and have generaly distructive tendencies.Admit or not our so called thousand families running the affairs of country are bent upon destroying the country for personal benifits. musharraf did miracles under those circumstances. He tried to construct Kalabagh dam but there were noises of breaking Pakistan from NWFp and Sindh. Given the fact that he was non punjabi and the acute ethnic lines which is prevalent in our society I doubt he could have done any better. the problem was and is that he is a gentleman and did not know how to be a dictator. in Pakistan nothing can succeed untill thousands head role but it is not possible even for the army as who will put the bell around cat's neck.
Sad to see that the author cannot see that Musharraf should be brought to task for his illegal dictatorship of nearly a decade. Unless Pakistanis understand the importance of a strong democratic and political foundation as being equal to military strength, the country will remain unstable and weak. Imagine the two political cycles and elections that would have taken place and put the country on a stable path had not a headstrong and self aggrandizing general taken over once again. Musharraf put the country's development back a decade. Much of our current problems including lack of energy, instability, terrorism and poor economic governance can be traced to Musharraf's misrule. When people think they are above the law and take over with guns whenever they want, we only encourage criminals like the Taleban. Musharraf seems to be upset at Kayani but we know the only reason is petty jealousy. Kayani had enough of Musharraf's unlawful rule and Kayani was too much of a professional to see the army tarnished more with continued illegal rule. Musharraf deserves to be called to court and to be jailed as a signal to the next would be usurper. Turkey has effectively moved to being a democratic state by charging generals who think they are above the law. Until Pakistan does the same, we will continue to see Musharraf type people.
Mush was a better ruler than those who followed him or any civilian ruler in the next decade or so. He made mistakes but who does not? He deserves to have a dignified life.
For a junior army man to write about a senior army man and do a decent job of it, is difficult to believe ......... surprisingly you have done a fair job. Your criticism of his failures and weaknesses was handled with a soft touch, possibly others would have been more forthright.