Adil Najam
A few readers have asked us to provide links to various media appearances by Gen. Musharraf here on ATP. A very good and constantly updated colelction is available at Trekker’s blog here.
Meanwhile, we are providing video clips of some of the most talked appearances (rather, those that are available on the web for linking).
Related ATP Posts on Gen. Musharraf’s new book, In the Line of Fire
First, the much talked about appearance on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and then the apperance on 60 Minutes. Third we have updated this post to include the CNN interview by Wolf Blitzer. We have also added the most pertinent part of the White House Press Conference with President Bush and President Musharraf.
You can view his appearance on 60 Minutes here:
Here is the first half of his appearance in CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (cannot, yet, find the second half). FULL TRANSCRIPT of this interview can be read here:
Here is the middle part, the most pertinent and talked-about part, of the White House Press Conference with Presidents Bush and Musharraf:
Finally, here is the interview on PBS’s Charlie Rose, which has also been much discussed in the comments from our readers:
I dont follow Pakistan politics but did catch your prez in the daily show… liked the way he handled himself…
[quote comment=”3468″]”You may criticise him but let him run his course. The next man may be worse.”[/quote]
Alvipervaiz,
Problem is that a dictator’s course does not have an end. They usually run their ship aground.
Fawad: You do not like military dictators. Neither do I. In my life time I have seen Pakistan being ruled by from Ayub Khan to Musharraf and every one in between. There has never been a true democratic system of government in Pakistan. When not ruled by the military directly, the country is ruled by the oligarchy of feudal lords. If you want to call it democracy you may. Ayub, Bhutto and Musharraf even though autocratic were relatively liberal and progressive. They were not all that bad. On the other hand Yahya, Benazir and Nawaz Sharif were poor governors. Zia in my opinion was an evil and regressive man. As you see not all military rulers were bad and not all civilians were good or vice versa. Democracy is the better form of government. But in the absence of it you hope that you got a better dictator. As a dictator Musharraf is doing an OK job. You may criticise him but let him run his course. The next man may be worse.
To be perfectly frank, I am not quite satisfied from president’s book “IN THE LINE OF FIRE” and his visit of US. Army Leader has mentioned in his interviews that he wouldn’t allow any other country’s army to operate against terrors in Pakistan because it would be against the sovereignty of Pakistan and Pakistan is a Nuclear Atomic State. But I think it is unacceptable for Americans to accept Pakistan as a Nuclear Atomic State. So, present political scenario has made us worried and I believe that we are just going to loose our all options. I wonder how our HERO and HEROIC Atomic Energy can get us out of this horrifying situation? I want to know why the citizens of Pakistan are being immediately tortured. WE have been deprived of our peace and tranquility.
I hope our American Pakistanis enjoyed the positive press when Mush was there. And as predicted, it will die down as soon as he leaves US soil.
For the Pakistanis not living in US, the press is not limited to Jon Stewart, Charlie Rose or Wolf Blitzer.
As reported by Amnesty International today.
[quote post=”329″]”Enforced disappearances were almost unheard of in Pakistan before the start of the U.S-led war on terror — now they are a growing phenomenon, spreading beyond terror suspects,” Amnesty researcher Angelika Pathak said.[/quote]
And this is how the British leg of his tour started
[quote post=”329″]A leaked report from a group associated with Britain’s Defense Ministry alleged earlier in the week that Pakistan’s intelligence service ISI was indirectly supporting the Taliban rebels in Afghanistan and said Musharraf should resign.[/quote]
Thirdly, Transparency International is stating the present government is more corrupt than the previous two democratic ones.
And the local press as well as population is not too happy about it either. But do we really care because we assume that if we (the moderate majority – yeah right!) want to go for the lesser of the three evils, the rest of 160 million of the population will also want to go for him. Its Benazir hands down any day.