“Now or Never!”

Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf is set to return to Pakistan on March 24, just a week after the dissolution of assemblies.

If the timing is significant, it’s because Musharraf isn’t coming here on a private visit to meet family and friends – the former president announced on March 1, 2013 that he plans to contest parliamentary elections as the leader of his party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML).

“When I look at these conditions that the country is in, I know that my return to Pakistan is crucial. And I will return to my beloved country,” he said at a press conference in Dubai. “Now or never, now or never!”

With this announcement, however, arise a number of considerations – the various cases pending against him, the viability of his party performing well in the polls, the size of his support base and the kind of political drama that could take place once he steps foot on Pakistani soil – not to mention the spectre of violence.

First, the cases: The former military leader has been implicated in the assassinations of Benazir Bhutto as well as Nawab Akbar Bugti. On top of that is his involvement in the Lal Masjid operation. Then of course, the government has scrambled to start the process for lodging a high treason case against the ex-president, currently living in self-imposed exile.

These cases can not be looked at in terms of legal repercussions alone. The Senate was both thrown into an uproar earlier this week, soon after Musharraf made his dramatic announcement.

Senator Raza Rabbani, of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) reminded the lawmakers that a resolution had been adopted unanimously last year to try Musharraf for treason.

Musharraf’s supporters, of course do not take well to such reminders. Many believe that Pakistan, at a low point as far as peace, security, and tolerance are concerned, would be best handled by a man like Musharraf.

Many people also fear, however, that Pakistan could be thrown into chaos with the arrival of such a controversial figure at such a sensitive time, especially considering the obstacles Musharraf will face in his quest to contest elections without a word of dissent.

Considering this imbroglio that Musharraf is to involve himself in the minute he lands, as well as the receding popularity of APML, should he return to Pakistan? Is it worth the possible price?

And is he even a viable electoral candidate?  Musharraf has never come to power via parliamentary elections before. And this time, he plans to enter them with a lot of legal baggage.

Source: Dawn

Pervez Musharraf announces his return to Pakistan

 

 

 

Musharraf slams Indian media for fabricating anti-Pak‘ propaganda

Indian TV show goes off-air after Pervez Musharraf’s back-fire on Indian govt, army

Former president Pervez Musharraf on Friday took India’s media to task for fabricating and cooking up false stories against Pakistan’s armed forces.

Speaking on Indian TV channel Times Now, live from London, Musharraf said India was fabricating false stories to put Pakistan’s army and ISI in bad light through its media.When asked by anchor why Pakistan was not acting against Lashkar-e-Taiba, Musharraf questioned as to why India was not doing anything against extremist party Shiv Sena.

“Can Indian government dare to take action against Shiv Sena? Are not they extremists? ,” he shot back at the anchor. Responding to a question about the long march, Musharraf said India had no right to ask about Pakistan’s internal affairs. But he said that Pakistanis want change.“Pakistan army did not mutilate the body of any Indian soldier and it never does so,” he replied to a question commandingly. He said India was deliberately escalating at the Line of Control. Pakistan army, he said, believes in resolving all disputes, including Kashmir, with India.“What kind of democracy you are running? You have kicked out Pakistan’s hockey players and artists,” he questioned?.”If you want to talk about Kargil. But first talk about East Pakistan and Siachen,” he said.

Watch the FULL interview here,

Can’t imagine Pak army being involved in killing of Indian jawans: Musharraf

Watch it on the Youtube, here.

APML’s Jalsa in Hyderabad on 20th Nov 2011

People must rise to end status quo: Musharraf

DUBAI — The next general election in Pakistan in 2013 will be of “make or break, do or die” nature in which people have to rise to bring in the right leadership to run the country, former president Gen. (retd) Pervez Musharraf said here on Saturday night.

“If we fail to do so and stay in the same groove, the conditions in the country will deteriorate further and our identity will be lost,” said Musharraf, Quaid (leader) of his newly registered political party, All Pakistan Muslim League.

“We have to break the political status quo of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) under whose rule the people and the state have suffered. There was a need for a third political force to emerge. So, I have formed APML to bring a new political party into play that is made of likeminded and honestly working people,” Musharraf said.

He was speaking at an iftar dinner, hosted by the APML-UAE for the members of the Pakistan Journalists Forum (a wing of Pakistan Association Dubai). Maj-Gen. (retd) Rashid Qureshi, Vice-President, and Barrister Mohammed Ali Saif, Secretary General of the party were also present.

He said that the media has to play an important role in breaking the status quo through correct and honest projection. He appreciated that the APML celebration of Pakistan Independence Day in Dubai was well covered in the UAE by Khaleej Times and some other newspapers, but regretted that the event was not covered by media in Pakistan.

Musharraf said that he expected an interim government to be formed in Pakistan in the next eight to nine months. The international community will want it to be a fair and a neutral government. The judiciary will also play its role. “Then fair elections will be held which, I am sure, will bring change,” he said.

He said that Pakistan’s government administration has broken down, even among coalition partners, leading to political and economic turmoil.

Musharraf said that the law and order situation in Karachi is of ethnic nature which can be controlled in 15 to 20 days if the government has the will to do so and arrests all those behind it.

“Today, we have a democratically elected government in Pakistan, but its leadership is not able to deliver to the people and develop Pakistan. We have to change it in the coming elections,” he said.

Musharraf said that he would not indulge in politics of vendetta on his return to Pakistan on March 23, 2012.

“The plan for my return will be ready by November. There are many electable people in Pakistan and I can’t claim that my party will win. Our efforts will catch momentum after my return. This is a try and one should not be scared of trying because a thousand miles journey starts with one step. If we do not succeed we will try again,” Musharraf said.

Source: Khaleej Times

Musharraf backs plan for more provinces

(By Ashfaq Ahmed, Deputy UAE Editor)

Dubai: Former president of Pakistan General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has supported the plan to have more provinces in Pakistan in a bid to have better administrative control.

“Yes, I believe more provinces should be created all over the country as it will help better administrative control, reduce feelings of deprivation in different groups and improve the law and order situation in the country,” said Musharraf while addressing an iftar dinner he hosted for Pakistan Journalists Forum (PJF) in the UAE.

The Pakistani government led by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been striving to divide Punjab into two province by creating a separate province in South Punjab but the Pakistan Muslim League led by Nawaz Sharif has strongly opposed the move.

However, Musharraf said that more provinces should be created not just in Punjab but all over the country, including Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.

“Decentralisation of power is important to give immediate relief and justice to people at the grassroots level,” he said.

Senior leaders present

Musharraf’s interaction with PJF members lasted for about two hours during which he explained his motives behind joining politics and launching his own political party — All Pakistan Muslim League (APML). Also present were his senior party leaders including General (retd) Rashid Quraishi, Barrister Mohammad Saif, Dr Amjad, Brigadier (retd) Harris, Col (retd) Sher Ali, Khurrum Haris, Akbar Ali Shah, Farzana Mansour and Zil-e-Huma.

Musharraf reiterated that he would go back to Pakistan on March 23 next year after his party organisation is completed.

“APML will emerge as a third political force and alternative to the current political parties because the people of Pakistan want change,” he said.

He said that he would take his chances in a bid to make a comeback to power to save Pakistan.

Dysfunctional

He said the current government in Pakistan had become completely dysfunctional while the administration structure had broken down and the country was facing political turmoil in addition to the law and order situation.

“I believe the Karachi issue is more of an ethnic problem but there is some ‘external hand’ involved in creating the unrest in a bid to destabilise the largest city of Pakistan,” he said, adding that the Karachi situation should be brought under control.

“If the rangers fail, the army should intervene to ensure peace and safety of lives and property of people,” he said when asked whether the army should take control of the city.

Evasive on court action

Former President of Pakistan General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has refused to comment on a court decision declaring him absconder in former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination case.

“I don’t have to answer these questions as my legal team is handling them,” he said when asked to comment by a journalist at an iftar dinner he hosted on Saturday in Dubai. However, he was surprised at the seizure of a bank account worth Rs80 million.

“If it is mine, then please give it in charity,” he laughed. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday ordered seizure of Musharraf`s property and freezing of his bank accounts while declaring him absconder in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case.

Source: Gulf News

U.S. officials, former Pakistan leader worry about latest split

Washington (CNN) — With U.S.-Pakistan relations in the deep freeze, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and American officials called Thursday for a thaw.

“Blame games, rigidity, arrogance, insensitivity to each other’s national interests is certainly very counter-productive,”Musharraf said in Washington. “It definitely saddens me to see the deteriorating Pakistan-United States relations,” he said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

Twelve weeks have passed since American commandos killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan, an event that dramatically widened the rift between the two countries.

Musharraf denied he knew during his time as president or later that bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. “Whether one believes it or not, let me say with confidence, I did not know,” he declared.

He suggested that it was negligence and not complicity of the Pakistan government that allowed bin Laden to stay there undetected.

“If there was complicity this is very, very serious indeed,” Musharraf said. “I think the UN and the United States have all the right to be against Pakistan if it ultimately comes to believe that … people were hiding him, people were complicit in it,” Musharraf said.

The former president and general, who has been living in London, pledged to return to Pakistan next March for a political comeback in 2013, in what he called “the mother of all elections.”

David Petraeus, making his way home from Afghanistan where he was commanding general and soon to start his new job as CIA director, reportedly told a Paris audience yesterday he also is worried about relations with Pakistan. He just completed a visit there and said the relationship is at a difficult stage but the U.S. must continue efforts to work with Pakistan, recognizing what it has done in the fight against terror.

Meanwhile in Washington, top U.S. military leaders told senators of their concerns about Pakistan.

The soldier poised to take over as chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Ray Odierno, said militants hiding out in Pakistan along the Afghanistan border are a major security challenge facing the United States.

Adm. James Winnefeld, tapped as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Pakistan must do more to crack down on insurgents like the Haqqani network.

“Pakistan is a very, very difficult partner and we all know that. We don’t always share the same world view or the same opinions or the same national interests,” Winnefeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I think we need to continued pressure on Pakistan using all elements of pressure that we’re able to apply to what really should be a friend to get them to realize that the Haqqani network poses a threat to their own country and to take the steps that we’ve asked them to take.”

Former congresswoman and Wilson Center director Jane Harmon said both the United States and Pakistan have made mistakes and miscalculations.

“Nothing is irreparable and this relationship has got to be fixed,” Harmon said after Musharraf’s speech.

“I think some tough love is required, I think there needs to be a more honest and straight relationship,” Harmon said. “The Pakistanis have grievances, but we clearly have grievances too.”

Source: CNN

The Saturday Interview: Musharraf on the curse of terrorism in Pakistan

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf led military coups in 1999 and 2007 before restoring democratic rule and serving as head of state. He is uniquely positioned to describe the situation in what many consider the most “dangerous country in the world” and the geopolitics in the region. He believes Pakistan, like Afghanistan, is a victim and is hurtling toward becoming a failed state, which will have grave ramifications worldwide. He was driven from office in 2008 and exiled in London after charges he was part of a conspiracy to kill Benazir Bhutto. He is committed to returning next year to seek election and has embarked on a campaign to improve understanding about the issues. Here are excerpts from his lecture, a press conference and two interviews with The Post’s Diane Francis this week at the Conference of Montreal.

Q What happens when the American, Canadian and other NATO troops leave Afghanistan?

A This will be a disaster unless Afghanistan is stable. It could lead to chaos, which will badly affect Pakistan, then India, the region and the world. This is what happened when the Americans left Afghanistan after the Soviets were defeated. I call this the Period of Disaster. There was no resettlement of the 25,000 mujahedeen fighters [recruited by the U.S. from refugee camps, including religious fighters led by Osama bin Laden]. They had been brought in by the Americans to fight the Soviets. After the withdrawal [in 1989], there was a vacuum. The Afghan elite had left for the U.S. and Europe, and the country was [in] anarchy, ravaged for years by having to fend for itself and returning to war-lordism. Four million refugees left Afghanistan for Pakistan. Then terrorists and the Taliban flooded Pakistan, tearing apart our socio-economic fabric. The biggest danger is that all these extremist elements are developing a nexus with Pakistan at the core.

Q How bad is Pakistan’s current condition and why are you going back?

A I think that the state is in great danger. My concern is Pakistan and I see at this moment nobody who can handle Pakistan so it’s nosediving down. GDP grew by 8.6% when I was head of state and now it’s 2.2%. The debt of the country has tripled in three years, or more than was accumulated in 60 years. The currency has [been devalued]. Foreign direct investment has collapsed, inflation is high, unemployment too.

Q Do you have support for your new party?

A There is support, or indications of that. Polling is difficult in the country, but the feedback from people, the media and rallies held in Pakistan is positive. We have a reasonable chance to win or to form a coalition with alternative parties to the People’s Party or PLN. I have 430,000 Facebook followers, 75% of whom are from Pakistan, which is another indicator.

Q What will you do if you win?

A We must reinforce the army and police and stop the curse of terrorism. This means extremists who misuse mosques, madrassas and organizations. This will not be an easy task, believe me. The main focus will be the development of the country and welfare of the people.

Q When you return to Pakistan how will you avoid the charges and jail?

A The charges are designed to scare me away. They are politicized. [My enemies] hope, when I return, to embroil me in them. But will I be jailed? Most likely not. This will not stop me.”

Q Are you not personally frightened after three assassination attempts on your life?

A If one is to think only of one’s own comfort, then I shouldn’t go at all. My wife is not pleased, but she will go along. My two children support my decision too.

Q Pakistan is being severely criticized and accused of harbouring bin Laden because the U.S. government claims he lived there for five years. How could that happen?

A I want the United States to provide evidence that he was there for five years. We must get rid of these conspiracy theories. I don’t believe it. I was president until 2008, and I knew nothing about this and would have. If he was there for a long time in one place, the explanation is complicity or failure. I believe it was failure or incompetence at a high level. This is human intelligence, which is not perfect. After all, there were more than a dozen terrorists who trained as pilots in the United States for months, hijacked four airplanes and caused 9/11 and the CIA had no idea. There is a joke in Pakistan that if bin Laden was living in a room for five years with three wives, he himself probably called the U.S. to come and kill him.

Q Why is there so much anti-American sentiment in Pakistan?

A For 42 years we were a strategic ally of the U.S. in Afghanistan then after 1989 we felt abandoned. There were sanctions imposed on us and a policy shift toward India, even though it had been squarely in the East camp with the Soviet Union while we had been in the West camp. Pakistan was used, then tossed aside, and this was seen as a betrayal. That’s why there must be trust restored between the U.S. and Pakistan.”

Q What role has India played in hurting perception of Pakistan’s victimization?

A A great deal. India is better at public relations and bigger too. Indians are everywhere. Israel and India lobby together against Pakistan. [India supported Palestinian independence until 1992, but then recognized Israel.] I believe we need to review relations with Israel at some point, but the Palestinian problem has to be resolved. That situation is very unpopular in Pakistan.

Q Is Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal safe from terrorists?

A Pakistan’s military is the stabilizing factor in the country. It protects Pakistan from external and internal conflicts, and the people always turn to the army to resolve conflicts. There are foolproof systems in place to protect the nuclear arsenal and there is no danger of its capture or control by terrorists or anyone else.

Q Should the military be in charge again to stabilize the country. Why don’t you lead another army takeover?

A I think military takeovers are no longer in fashion in the world, or in Pakistan, and the answer has to be found through democratic and political solutions. The only way to save Pakistan is to have unity between thought and action. If I can come back through an electoral mandate, I know the army and bureaucracy will follow me. There is no way the military will allow Pakistan to become a failed state. But there must be checks and balances. The most important check I instituted was the National Security Council, a voice where the military could convey its views.”

Source: National Post

Security before democracy

By Pervez Musharraf – Former President of Pakistan

DEMOCRACY is an obsession with the West. Perhaps, rightly so because after the failure of communism and socialism, democracy has emerged as the only successful form of government.

However, when one looks around in the Third World which is experimenting with democracy, one sees an unacceptable manifestation of the same — a democratically elected government is in place but taking the country towards disaster. Therefore, clearly, politics/democracy needs to be reconciled with national security — progress/development of the state and welfare/wellbeing of its people.

What are the imperatives of democracy? Are fair elections and an elected government the only requirement of democracy? To me, that is merely a label. How the elected government governs is the true essence of democracy. Democracy’s primary functional concern ought to be: ‘Are people masters of their own destiny? Are they empowered enough to look after their own interests?’

People implies masses belonging to all segments: vertically, the rich and powerful, feudal lords, tribal chiefs on top and the grass-roots common man at the bottom; horizontally, all provinces/states, tribes, religions, sects, castes, men and women.

I strongly believe the danger lies in denying power, not in sharing or giving power.

How does national security affect democracy? First and foremost is security against external threats implying the maintainance of adequate forces to pursue national interests with honour and dignity. Clearly, no state, no democracy.

This is the ‘traditional security element’. Pakistan has suffered from an existential threat from the east since independence, after its first war with India in 1948. Therefore, for its security, it adopted a military strategy of minimum defensive deterrence quantified into force levels for the army, navy and air force.

But when the armed forces, well-organised and well-managed as they are, also become strong in numbers, they tend to acquire a voice in national governance.

Next is security from internal threats or centrifugal forces acting against national security, homogeneity or integrity from within society. This is the ‘non-traditional security’ aspect; its various elements which are confronted for functional democracy to evolve are ethnic, tribal, religious or sectarian disparities and discord; regional or societal development inequities; poverty, joblessness and economic disparities; illiteracy; food and water issues.

Let’s discuss how to ensure national security to protect the state in all its dimensions and tailor democracy to suit a typical Third World environment. I will quote examples from my practical experience.

The people’s destiny must be entwined with that of the state so that they develop a stake in it. This is possible when the state rises economically and its wealth is distributed equitably among all regions and peoples.

With the economy put on the upsurge, we have to ensure its benefits trickle down to the people. In Pakistan we identified poverty and joblessness among the rural uneducated, the urban educated unemployed and the urban uneducated unemployed. We tackled each systematically.

For the rural uneducated unemployed, we focused on agriculture and agro-based industry, dairy and livestock. For the urban educated unemployed, we focused on the telecommunication and information technology sectors. For the urban uneducated unemployed, we emphasised building and construction which is labour-intensive. We reduced poverty from 34 to 17 per cent in seven years.

Education and skill development needs to be pursued vigorously. Public-private partnerships can pay rich dividends. We created the National Commission on Human Development; the National Vocational and Technical Education Commission was created for skill development which in turn led to innumerable vocational training centres imparting three- to six-month turnaround courses for construction skills. The overall strategy was for universalising education up to middle class and then diverting the people towards skill development.

Food, water and energy should be considered as the inalienable right of all. Sixty per cent of diseases in Pakistan are water-borne. We initiated a project of installing water-filtration plants down to the union council (15 to 20 villages) level. Electricity was provided to all villages with more than 50 houses. Simple food kitchens for the poorest segments need to be provided with public-private philanthropic participation.

These are the main areas of human security as part of non-traditional security which will reinforce national security and enhance the people’s stakes in the state. This brings me to the aspect of sustainable democracy.

First and foremost, democracy must be tailored to fit the environment in which it is to function. There is no set formula. No country’s example can be superimposed on others without adjustment.

In Pakistan, democratic institutions are under-developed, and democratically elected governments have always failed to deliver. Whenever there has been a dysfunctional, elected government running the state aground (which invariably has been the case), people take the only recourse of appealing to the army to take over. The army’s response to this mass national appeal can only be unconstitutional. There is no constitutional salvation.

In such a crisis, which has struck all too often, the question that gets debated is whether upholding democracy is more important than rescuing the state. An institutional role, therefore, has to be evolved for the military to voice its concerns to prevent any unconstitutional act, which the public pressurises them to do.

This I call checks and balances.

The other important factor is the empowerment of the people. We must devolve authority to the lowest level — empowerment and authority devolution to the district level and below means giving them political, administrative and financial authority.

Empowering the people is inadequate if women and minorities are not integrated into governance. They must appropriately be represented at all tiers of political authority so that they feel the satisfaction of belonging and participating in nation-building. We empowered women and minorities by giving them reserved seats in the district, provincial and national assemblies besides their right to contest openly from any constituency.

The ultimate factor behind all development of the state, welfare of its people, the country’s unity and integrity is collective economic wellbeing. Economic strength is the mother of all development and the guarantor of national security and sustainable democracy.

Source: Dawn