Adil Najam
UPDATE: Gen. Musharraf has just announced his resignantion during a nationally televised address. Read more here.
ORIGINAL POST:
Gen. Pervez Musharraf is slated to the address the nation in a televised address at 1PM PST today (Monday, August 18, 2008). Leading newspapers, such as The News and Dawn, are reporting that he is likely to announce his resignation and TV News channels are doing the same; indeed some have started running film summaries of his tenure as President as if his departure is already a done deal.
It may well be so. But given that this is Pakistan and this is Gen. Pervez Musharraf, one must never rule out the likelihood of surprises.
According to Dawn:
President Pervez Musharraf is to address the nation on Monday afternoon, his spokesman told AFP, while dismissing rumours that he had resigned to avoid impeachment. “The president will address the nation at 01:00pm (0700 GMT),” said retired Major General Rashid Qureshi, the chief presidential spokesman. Asked about local television reports that Musharraf had already resigned in the face of attempts by the governing coalition to impeach him, the spokesman replied, “It is all nonsense.” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said it appeared that Musharraf had “seen the writing on the wall” but did not say if he knew what the president was planning to announce. “He is a wise man, he is a very experienced man and he has seen the writing on the wall,” Qureshi told Dawn News television when asked if he had confirmation that Musharraf had resigned. “He has seen the sentiments of not just the elected representatives, but various institutions… who all asked him to move in a particular way and do not destabilize things here,” he said. Pakistan People’s Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said: “His political fate has been sealed. Whatever he says doesn’t matter.”
[Strong] speculation is that Gen. Musharraf will use this speech to resign from the office of President, that a ‘deal’ has already been reached - which includes three elements: (a) that he resigns and no formal impeachment is carried out, (b) that he is given a broad amnesty against legal action against him, and (c) he is provided some form of ’safe passage.’
My own sense is that if he does make the planned speech he will use it to describe, defend and detail what he considers to be the “achievements” of his tenure as President. While a formal “charge sheet” against him may never be tabled in Parliament, he will use this speech to answer the charges that have been and are being made against him. Expect, then, a speech that lists what he things he has achieved and responds to the lists of what his distractors say he has failed to do. This he will certainly do.
At the end of all this (a) he could say that although he has done his very best and beyond, in the interest of the country he will leave the office of the President so that the opposition to his person does not impede national progress; or (b) he could say that since he is proud of what he has achieved he will, like a good commando, fight to the very end because that is what is in the interest of the country. No matter which course he chooses, this will be one of the most important (if not the most important) speech of his life.
Given the way things stand right now it is more likely than not that he will take something akin to the first course. But even if he does not, it is quite clear that he is on his way out. If not today, then soon. If not through impeachment, then through resignation.
The question uppermost on most Pakistani minds is no longer whether Gen. Pervez Musharraf is on his way out. It is, what will happen to Pakistan after he leaves? Will everything become perfectly good once he is gone? Will things become not perfect but better? Will things becomes even worse? What do you think?
I am apalled at the intelligence of those who think Musharraf’s resignation is something of a disaster, particularly those living in the US. It seems the US media has successeded in pulling the woll over their eyes. Here is a man who is responsible for extra-judicial abductions of more than 400 hundred Pakistanis in a bid to feed the US war on terror. Most of these unfortunate souls had nothing to do with terrorism. Here is man who establiahed a party of crooks and put it in the saddle. Here is a man who has patronised linguistic and ethnic violence in Karachi. Here is man who bombed his own citizens and killed large number of innocent people in order to placate the American hunger for more violence in the war on terror. here is a man who miamed the constitution more than once, who maligned the army, destroyed national institutions and introduced sham democracy. He was not a strong man, he was a despot, a dictator. No matter how corrupt and ravenous the zardari and sharif lot are, they are better than an army dictator.
Ashamed of the Pakistani people or may be not this will teach them a lesson when they see what its like to be without a powerful man in charge of Pakistan and may be once they will know who meant good for them and who’s the devil inside !
I WILL ALWAYS BE A MUSHARRAF SUPPORTER !
Finally with musharaf’s resignation the vultures seem soaring. Those under illusion that Musharaf could have been impeached or that he left because of the fear of impeachment, let me make it clear, Impeachment is no light matter. We saw daily photographs in the press, and shots on our television screens, of the smug powers that be and who were in charge of drawing up the chargesheet against the sinning president, lolling around on plush sofas in gilded drawing rooms preparing endless drafts. They should have been in the precincts of the parliament, in committee rooms, sitting around tables, projecting some sort of dignified comportment and intent of constitutional purpose.
The cards were stacked, the rats are still running, as was to be expected. They must protect their rear-ends so that when it is all over they are there in position to join in the rush to grab whatever spoils remain. They are acting in character.
As regards this coalition is concerned; are we still thinking they are friends, In their heart of hearts, they dislike, perhaps even despise each other, their parties competed for the spoils of office, and each took pitiless vengeance against the other whenever they had the chance. Thus Mr Sharif, as prime minister between 1996 and 1999, launched case after case against Mr Zardari and ensured that he went to prison on corruption charges without ever having been convicted. Meanwhile, Mr Zardari persecuted Mr Sharif whenever the PPP was in power.
Zardari went for musharaf’s impeachment because he was losing his image badly, Sharif was gaining. Now with musharaf gone lets wait for the day when both Zardari and Nawaz develop a conflict over the president.
Down in their hearts both Zardari and Nawaz want to be the next president but both of them know that they are worthless.
I wont be surprised if Sherry Rehman is nominated as PPP candidate for the presidential slot.
PAKISTAN PAINDA BAD
Adonis, you and your corrupt leaders can have Pakistan, but remember my name and mark my words, the outside pakistanis are not going to be happy with your rulers. and after two months, since you are living in Pakistan, let me hear you say that everything is going well…and that you are satisfied.
I have known so many people who have left Pakistan just on account of these two so called leaders, they have ruined Pakistan and will continue to do so as long as they are allowed to.
We are here ( Outside Pakistani ) because we choose to, because we never saw a future in Pakistan. Musharraf gave us that future and made us Proud Pakistanis. We know how we felt cause we had to face the outside world.
So, Congrats and I hope you ate enough sweets, cause trust me, your going to need it…
To my Friends,
Usman Ghani Rathore, Saadullah, Saeed Malik and Obaid Ur Rehman, I seriously wished there were more of us, President Musharraf made me a proud Pakistani and so have you my friends.
We have lost a great leader and a true person. I pray that God mak keep him safe at all times and that ‘WE’ of the sane population of Pakistan multiply and understand what we, As Pakistanies need to do to brink our nation back to where it was.
I feel ashamed by what has happened, only the stupid will celebrate cause they don’t have a single clue of whats going to happen next, its painful, but I guess we will all have to sit back and see the drama.
I am so sure that it will take only a few days for these two parties to start fighting with each other, and only then will the People Of Pakistan realize what they have done. The we will see who will be giving sweets around…we’ll be too poor to eat dal…I tell you.
But anyways, God Bless Musharraf and like says he will always support Pakistan so will I and I most certainly hope that the People of Musharraf’s Pakistan will do so.
Long Live Musharraf, Long Live Pakistan….
It was a great day for the people of Pakistan. The will of people finally prevailed.
There is no dearth of “overseas” Pakistanis far removed from the ground realities of Pakistan who consider mush their hero and are lamenting that the Pakistani people are now at the mercy of “corrupt” politicians. To them I would say, “Thanks for your concern, but no thanks.”
We would rather have corrupt politicians ruling this country who have to come back to us in five years and ask for our votes rather than be subjected to the tyrannical misrule of a dictator who is not answerable to the people.
People of Pakistan can be accused of many things, but they are certainly not dumb. They have clearly shown their disapproval of the dictator and have chosen to give their confidence yet again to the so called “corrupt” politicians. It is time for our “overseas” brothers to respect our choice because it is us not you who are going to live with its consequences. Please try to reconcile yourself with our choice and accept our right to chose our own rulers.
He was a good man, and I personally believe a real loyalist in Pakistan. Now its a realization to me why Pakistan is strugglling and striving for excellence. We Pakistanis are ignorant enough to recognize the Loyalists of Pakistan. I am personally ashamed. Things will go down day by day.
Salutes to the General!
Welcome to Demon-cracy !!