Mr Musharraf! It has been eight long years, since you took over the
reigns of this country and it took you two elections, one referendum
and a lot of political wheeling and dealing to reach, where you are
standing today. I can still remember the year 1999, when you had your
differences with Mian Sahib. At that time,
most people thought that a coup d’état was almost impossible, looking
at Mian Sahib’s past record and considering the times we were in. But
you proved them wrong. You did the unexpected and you continued doing
that ever since.
As a conscientious citizen of the 21st century, I have always had a
deep affiliation with democratic values and norms and was thus
sceptical about your government right from the beginning. However,
being an optimist, I have always looked for the silver lining. And so I
thought, mistakenly enough, that under your leadership we’ll probably
be able to sail through those seas, which have so far been declared
unchartered territories and achieve certain milestones which we could
not even dream of during the previous decade of political governments.
Unlike the political forces, I thought, you would not have any
political obligations or vulnerabilities. I started to believe that the
dream of Kalabagh Dam would see the light of the day. I thought that
the voice of our fellow countrymen from Balochistan would finally get
heard and I somehow thought that under your able leadership, we’ll
finally make peace with our next door neighbors.
What I got though, was a severe power crisis, a much bleaker
situation in Balochistan and even a more terrible state of affairs on
our western border. I wonder what held you from looking into these
critical issues and settling them once and for all. In your shadow, I
saw a new face of accountability, a quest for transparency and a dream
of corruption-free Pakistan. I thought that the days of exploitation of
masses by the politicians were over and it was time for a massive
cleanup. My excitement, as I found out later, was short-lived. To my
utter surprise, very soon I witnessed the same politicians rubbing
shoulders with you, who were nabbed by your own government, in its
early days, on corruption charges. Was accountability a mere rhetoric
or the need for political legitimacy was so intense that it motivated
you to change your very stance about governance?
With an unprecedented liberal media policy, you emerged as the new
godfather of freedom of expression, setting a new example of tolerance
and writing a new chapter in the history of the Pakistani media. I
witnessed a mushroom growth of new television channels and this new
face of media became the hallmark of your government.This could very
well have been a jewel in your throne, something that you would always
be remembered for. But then came the fatal November 3, wiping off
everything that you have ever done on the media front. Earlier this
year, I watched your speech at Davos with keen interest and heard your
claims about media liberalisation in Pakistan. I wonder, how taking all
the channels off air comes under liberalization by any stretch of
imagination. But then may be I am not imaginative enough. I can
remember what Kahlil
Gibran said:
You delight in laying down laws, / Yet you delight more in breaking them.
Like children playing by the ocean who build sand-towers with / constancy and then destroy them with laughter.
I wonder why you destroyed your very own sand towers. Was it the
circumstances? But if the unfavourable circumstances could change your
ideology and compel you to undo your own achievements, why didn’t they
force you to resign?
Mr Musharraf! You come from an armed forces background and army is
indeed the best, if not the only, institution of Pakistan, enjoying
great independence. I was sure that coming from such a background you
would have great regard for institutions and you would always stand up
for their independence. I wonder though, if that was the case, why was
the whole judicial structure demolished during your era?
And now, when the political situation has taken a new turn, the
masses have voted against you and the new power brokers seem unwilling
to accept you, it seems that you are not inclined to go. I can
understand that it is difficult for anybody to leave the top slot of
the country, but I also expect that you would only stay if it is in our
best national interest, as you have always claimed, and not for your
own self. While I greatly appreciate your intentions and understand
that eight years may be too little a time for you to bring about a
visible change, I still cannot comprehend that how exactly would you
make a difference now?
Even if you remain at the presidency, the new political order does
not seem to have a significant place for you. If you accept to be in a
merely ceremonial position, what good can you do, despite all your good
wishes? And if that is unacceptable to you, which is highly unlikely as
indicated by your repeated statements about your fondness for
democracy, what would you exactly do about it? If you can’t make a
difference, is this presidency worth your while?
Mr Musharraf! May be its time for you to make way for the new. May
be its time for you to welcome a new democratic order. May be its time
for you to bid farewell to almost a decade of your absolute
unchallenging rule over this country of 160 million people. But before
you go, let us thank you for something really worthwhile that you have
done for us. Thank you Mr Musharraf, for returning our leaders to us,
with a new face and a new promise for national reconciliation. Thank
you for producing a new lot of dynamic and tall leaders like Aitzaz.
Thank you for waking the civil society of this country and thank you
for teaching us the value of an independent judiciary.