Musharaf the Moron

I always find it fascinating to read people who are trying to justify Pervez Musharaf. The following rant basically materialized because of comments on a blog (http://kokaine.blogspot.com/) about how well Musharaf has handled himself while in the US.

I find it fascinating because I myself cannot muster an iota of respect for the guy, not only because he is an army man and has no business running a country but also because he is an idiot to boot and I tend to put him in the same category as the Nawaz Sharif's and Benazir's of this world. Maybe Nawaz is a bigger idiot, but it is a close run thing. The Foreign Office of Pakistan (according to a close friend of mine who works there) spends more time in spinning Musharaf utterances into acceptable fodder than on anything else.

Musharaf is uncouth, speaks without thinking and puts his foot in his mouth more often than not. I’ll refrain from mentioning his personal indiscretions, which are many, as I’m no moralist and frankly he can go do whatever he wants as long as the country is not paying the tab, but unfortunately the tax payer in Pakistan is paying the tab, not only for this book launching but for all the other pleasures that our much loved ‘leader’ cannot live without.

I'd have greater respect for him if he'd at least done a decent job of running the country (though i'd still be against him for the simple reason that he is from the Army, that most malignant and vile institution of our country) but that is decidedly not the case.

Propaganda to the contrary not withstanding, Pakistan is NOT doing well. The economy MAY have improved over the last few years but is it because of his policies or the general upturn in world economics? And when you think about it, have things improved at all for 99% of the population. The real estate bubble may have created a few millionaires but it has harmed as many too, as is the case with economic bubbles. On the whole though, life in Pakistan is considerably worse than it has ever been. If that sounds like a sweeping statement, let me assure you its not and it is not made carelessly either.

Musharaf has failed on the one count that is more important than any other to a citizen of a country, Law and Order. Pakistan has never been the safest place in the world to be, but things have undoubtedly reached a new low. In Karachi you cannot walk outside with a cell phone in your hand because it is guaranteed that you’ll be dispossessed of it sooner rather than later, but in recent times the same has become the norm in Lahore, Islamabad and other major cities. I have never met an individual in Karachi who didn’t have their cell phone stolen at gunpoint at least once, I’m not kidding, I had 200 people working under me in the city, every single one had a story, EVERY single one, and every other day or so a new story was added. Kidnappings are common; shopping with your VISA while holding you at gunpoint is an everyday occurrence. And its not just Karachi, in the last year Lahore has become equally bad and of course the kicker is that you do not have recourse to the law. There is no law.

Heightened rampant lawlessness is just one dimension of it though, there is no improvement in any other sector or sphere of life. The Canadian Bill of Rights, a great document if ever there was one, starts with the following words,

“It is hereby recognized and declared that in Canada there have existed and shall continue to exist without discrimination by reason of race, national origin, colour, religion or sex, the following human rights and fundamental freedoms, namely,

(a) the right of the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment of property, and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law;”

Not even one of these fundamental rights can be guaranteed to an individual in Pakistan.

Let us not delude ourselves in believing that power hungry, self righteous, morons like Pervez Musharaf are somehow doing a good job or even a fair one, that is both demeaning to us and to our country.

PS. Always wanted to post a Blog with that heading.