Sunday, October 19, 2008

So What's Mush up to?



When politicians get defeated in elections and have to leave office, they still manage to command some column inches in newspapers and some face time on tv, so that people know that a comeback bid is in the works.
But it’s different for ousted military rulers like Parvez Musharraf. It’s strange to think that it’s been exactly two months (and one day) since the former Pakistan president quit office to avoid impeachment. After one or two days of where he might go and what he would do, he disappeared almost entirely from TV and newspapers after dominating them for eight whole years. Pouf! Just like that.
For sure, his name does get invoked a hundred times a day by media, politicians and political pundits, mostly to roundly condemn all his policies. We have also been told he’s spending his time playing golf and bridge with friends. He’s also said to have hosted a dinner for some retiring army buddies at his Army House residence in Pindi. We know he went to Karachi for a few days to be with his daughter. We also know he arrived in Lahore on October 18 and disappeared towards some “secret” destination.
But he’s himself been completely invisible, offering no pearls of wisdom on what’s going on the country
(and plenty is), as if he had all along been just some Parvez on the street with no interest in anything but getting along with his life. Not one interview, not one press conference. That may well have been the condition of his being allowed to remain in the country – that’s another big mystery. Just what exactly was that deal? Everyone knows in their bones that the Pak Army stepped in to protect him from being exiled or prosecuted but there’s nothing more about this.
But in the last two or three days, there have been some teeny-weeny reports, quoting anonymous sources, about his intention of making a “political comeback’ once he moves into his house in Chak Shehzad, the equivalent of Delhi’s Sainik Farm ( btw Chak Shezad is all legal, the similarity is in the population profile -- rich) on the outskirts of Isloo. Apparently, that little piece of architectural candy with slopey green tiled roofs set in four acres is going to become a “hub” of political activities for all those disgruntled with the current dispensation.
I find it hard to believe that Mush is really going to move into that under-construction farmhouse when it’s ready in a couple of months. It’s zero from the security point of view, unless the government barricades the entire area. All those rich neighbours of his must be nervous already about what’s coming to them.
If he does move in and starts holding a political darbar there everyday, what chances of his comeback? In my humble view, Pakistan is nor ready yet for Musharraf Mark II. In the last one year or so, he’s been hated at different time for different reasons. Right now, it’s for dragging the country into the US war in Afghanistan (as if there was a choice!) and almost equally, for bad economic policies that are now threatening to bankrupt and ruin the country so badly that the government has had to get out there with a begging bowl.
But let’s not foreclose any possibilities here…

7 comments:

Unknown said...

you seem to be on mush trail? keep it up. will sure lead you to another book !

Anonymous said...

I think it is a wise strategy on Mush' part to keep quiet at the moment. He had been in power for eight long years, and incumbency factor had caught on with him. He had become unpopular, and majority in Pakistan blame him for the present law and order situation, emanating from his anti-terrorist and pro-American policies.

However, gradually people are likely to forget his rule and would fondly remember him due to the dire economic situation presently prevalent in the country which is getting worst almost on a daily basis.

Gibbons

Anonymous said...

Musharraf set to join politics
By IRFAN BUKHARI submitted 10 hours 40 minutes ago
ISLAMABAD - In a development nobody had predicted, it appears that former President Pervez Musharraf is angling to join politics and lead the party that he founded nearly six years ago, the PML-Q.

According to well placed sources, the ex-President has assigned two PML heavyweights, Hamid Nasir Chattha and Humayun Akhtar, to try to dislodge the Chaudhrys of Gujrat from their pivotal positions in the party. Sources further revealed that some old friends of former President Pervez Musharraf from PML-Q were advising him to join politics, as he was growing popular among masses.

“Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is President of the party and his cousin Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who heads the party in the Punjab, are the main hurdle in Musharraf’s ascendancy to the party’s leadership”, said the sources.

PML-Q defiant leaders held a consultative meeting at Saleem Saifullah’s residence here on Thursday night to devise a feasible way to dislodge Chaudhrys from the steering position of the party.

A day before on Wednesday Hamid Nasir Chattha had invited party leaders at his residence for deliberations. Sources told this scribe that Senator Nisar Memon and Gohar Ayub severely criticized Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani and Hamid Nasir Chattha when they went critical towards Chaudhrys and demanded their replacement.

“In the dinner at Chattha’s residence, he had come with the proposal that former President Pervez Musharraf should join politics as the winds were blowing in his favour”, the sources said.

In the Thursday meeting that was held at the residence of Saleem Saifullah, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Riaz Fatyana, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Jan Muhammad Jamali, Nilofar Bakhtiar and others Q-League Senators and MNAs from forward blocs participated and, according to sources, endorsed the plan of dislodging Chaudhrys to make ground for eager former President to enter into politics.

A PML-Q lawmaker of Chaudhrys’ camp seeking not to be named charged the defiant members of party and said that they were pursuing their personal motives. “Where were all these critics of Chaudhrys in the last six years and why had they kept their tongues tied on the policies of Chaudhry brothers”, he questioned.

He claimed that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain could only be dislodged from party’s presidency through party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) and ‘the two-thirds majority of CWC is standing with Chaudhrys and not with Chattha, Durrani or Akhtar’.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/24-Oct-2008/Musharraf-set-to-join-politics

Anonymous said...

Musharraf was the best hope of Pakistan. Atleast he has the balls to live in pakistan even though he faces too many threats. He could have gone abroad but didnt do that. Unlike Zardari who from being 10% has become Mr full % or Nawaz or even Benazir who used to just leave the country. We say Mush is responsible for the Zardari n company coming again to the helm, these bastards,have investments abroad etc, they pulled out money from Pakistan which is why our reserves depleted. Look at whats happening now with the media its jus one sided portrayal and compare that to Musharraf's time when the media was always on his back. The freedoms which we had at that time were a lot to what you people have now. I am an Overseas Pakistani and I know lots of Pakistanis who have abandoned the country I mean moved abroad after looking at the situation Pakistan is in.I hope there is a revolution in Pakistan but there would be none since we have the most incompetent of Army chiefs who doesnt have the balls to come on television and talk about our sovereignty rather makes deals and is out of Pakistan whenever something important happens. This just explains Pakistan's predicament. We need a Purge of all the people on the top like french revolution style.We need it now.

sudha said...

congratulations on your chameli devi award.

sru said...

mush...mush...where to start...
he is no better than his successor, and his recent comments about accepting the presidency were strange. anyone got any idea what his intentions were?

Anonymous said...

musharaf II version will come with kayani if the so called democratic leaders do not tow in line with the dictation of usa / west.

You must ask this question to usa