Musharraf

Musharraf-reut-543

KARACHI: A series of political and strategic blunders by former president Gen Pervez Musharraf had given the cause and justification to both Asif Ali Zardari and new army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to work separately for his “honourable exit”, a couple of freshly released WikiLeaks cables reveal.

In two separate cables written by the-then US ambassador to Islamabad, Anne W. Patterson, details have been given about how the new army chief, General Kayani, and leader of the majority party in the new National Assembly, Asif Zardari, had systematically started to distance themselves from President Musharraf.

In a “brief” and “talking points” prepared for Admiral Mike Mullen during his early 2008 visit to Pakistan, ambassador Patterson states: “As expected, (Gen) Kayani is taking slow but deliberate steps to distance the Army from now civilian President Musharraf”.

She then goes on to say that Kayani has announced that army “generals would need his permission to meet the President”, which was a move apparently aimed at denying the beleaguered former military ruler from lobbying for his further extension as head of state.

In a separate cable about a meeting of US Representatives, Adam Schiff and Allyson Schwartz, with Mr Zardari in May 2008, the American ambassador has given details of how the PPP co-chairman (who later became president) advocated for an “honourable exit” of President Musharraf.

According to the cable, “Zardari blamed President Musharraf for not taking enough responsibility for the ‘war on terrorism’ in Pakistan”, which resulted in a marked increase in anti-American sentiments in the country.

“Anti-U.S. feeling will go away when the old faces go away,” the cable said, adding that the American government should no longer rely on just Musharraf in fighting terrorism.

In her own assessment of Mr Musharraf’s public standing, ambassador Patterson wrote in the 2008 cable that a year ago his popularity was high. However, “beginning with his decision to fire the chief justice in March 2007, Musharraf has made repeated blunders culminating in a state of emergency and temporary suspension of the constitution”.

Detailed reading of some of these cables suggest that by this time all three major players, Asif Zardari, General Kayani, and the American ambassador, had made up their minds that the time was up for the former military ruler.


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Comments (1)

Hammad Sethi
December 8, 2010 5:09 am
Why do the Pakistani rulers mention democracy all the time? Does democracy mean that the army is no longer in power? We know very well that when it will suit the Western Christian Masters, the army is going to be back in power in Pakistan. The reason for mentioning democracy so much seems to be to embarrass army so much that it does not dare to takeover the government again. But the fact is that the only rulers that suit the Western Christian masters in Pakistan, are the ones that do not do anything for the people of Pakistan, and army or civilian does not matter. Pakistan is so massive that if it becomes self-reliant, it will be one of the great powers of the world and Western Christians don't want that. People are so downtrodden in Pakistan and there is so much illiteracy that the people in power have nothing to fear. Civilian rule or army rule, it will only ever be the same 2% people in power, in Pakistan. And then if Benazir chose to die for this worse form of government; did the democratic rulers of Pakistan or even her husband who is now the president dare to bring her killers to justice? Sovereignty lies with Allah Al-Mighty. This is the belief that Muslims have. So real Muslims do not strive for Power or government. Democracy is not a system of government but an acknowledgement of responsibility. So if you want power, and in a country such as Pakistan, then you really do not even fear Allah Al-Mighty. So what is there left to fear? The ruling class in Pakistan has nothing to fear. Not Allah Al-Mighty, not the electorate, and not their own conscience. All the Pakistani rulers have to fear, is their white Christian Masters sitting in the Western capitals. And for these Masters, it least matters if the government in Pakistan is civilian or military, as long as it is obedient. So where does democracy come into all this. There is no point in embarrassing your own army just to get a medallion from these Western Masters, because Mr Z A Bhutto and Late Benazir Bhutto were killed by the same Western Christian Masters. In China we see smooth transition of power after every five years, and even though every Chinese leader has done a great job for the country and nation, but they do not want to stick to power. Chinese leaders are only remembered for the work they do for their nation. Chinese leaders do not believe in God, and obviously they do not seek power for personal gain, because they always leave office after completing their term. This means that they only seek power to serve their nation, and they only feel answerable to their conscience, and they are changing the whole world for better through their hard work. This is democracy at it best. So this proves that democracy is not a system of government but a certain type of behaviour. If Pakistani ruling class wants to change the life of 98% of Pakistanis for better, then they will have to come out in the field and work hard. And if you cannot do it then shame on you, and shame on your so-called sham democracy.