Gen. Musharraf to become Mr. Musharraf on Thursday

Posted on November 27, 2007
Filed Under >Darwaish, History, Law & Justice, People, Politics
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Darwaish

So finally, General Pervez Musharraf would become Mr. Pervez Musharraf on Thursday when he will be sworned in as a civilian president at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, Islamabad (13th president of Pakistan). Gen. Musharraf will retire after occupying Chief of the Army Staff post for more than nine years. Given a choice, I am sure he would have loved to continue for another 5-10 years and beat the record set by late Gen. Zia. But anyways, Musharraf paid farewell visits to Joint Staff, Air and Naval headquarters today where he met senior military officials one last time as COAS. Former DG ISI, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani will take over as new Chief of the Army Staff from Thursday. ATP readers who wish to know more about Gen. Kayani may find this bbc article very interesting.

Musharraf is taking his uniform off at a time when he has become highly unpopular, country is under unnecessary Martial Law, judiciary has been completely destroyed, lawyers and civil society are on the streets protesting against him, media is under severe curbs and he hardly has any friends left anywhere. It would be interesting to see how Gen. Musharraf survives in future as a civilian president.

He would require endorsement of PCO and all his actions since November 3 from newly elected assembly, if elections are held, which will be an uphill task and I really don’t see HOW it will happen unless Q-League wins again.

But then again, anything is possible in Pakistan. Who knows, Q-League wins with a heavy mandate this time after brilliant performance of 5 years in power.

According to Daily Times:

President General Pervez Musharraf would take oath as civilian president at 11am on Thursday, but before this he would relinquish charge of chief of army staff (COAS) to start his second term as president of Pakistan.

“Yes, he is going to take oath at 11am on Thursday,” Musharraf’s spokesman Maj Gen (r) Rashid Qureshi told Daily Times on Monday. He also confirmed that the Ministry of Defence had issued a notification of his retirement as army chief after being in office for nine years.

Farewell: Defence Ministry sources said Musharraf would start holding farewell meetings today (Tuesday) – a clear indication that he had decided to call it a day. “Musharraf will meet top military commanders, principal staff officers and senior colleagues,” defence sources said. The formal handing over of charge to his successor is also part of the farewell proceedings, they added. The sources said Musharraf was fulfilling the promise he made to the nation and the Supreme Court of vacating the army post before taking oath as president. Preparations for the ceremony to mark the change of army command are underway, and a formal ceremony will take place at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, defence sources said.

After the completion of the ceremony, the Defence Ministry will announce the appointment of the new chief of army staff, sources said. A special meeting of corps commanders is expected before the handing over ceremony, they added.

Born in 1943 in New Delhi, Musharraf enrolled in the Kakul Military Academy in 1961. He was commissioned in the Artillery Regiment in 1964. Former premier Nawaz Sharif appointed him as the country’s 13th army chief on October 8, 1998. On October 12, 1999, he ousted Sharif in a bloodless coup and bundled him off to Saudi Arabia on December 10, 2000. On October 7, 2001, Musharraf extended his military term, which is supposed to be a three-year tenure post, for an unspecified period. After the late General Ziaul Haq, who was army chief for more than 12 years from April 1, 1976 to August 17, 1988, Musharraf’s tenure as army chief has been the longest. Last week, the new SC judges validated Musharraf’s victory in an October 6 presidential election, clearing the way for him to serve a further five years in office.

Army security, staff to stay: Sources said President Musharraf’s security would remain entrusted to the army, even after taking oath as a civilian president. A special contingent of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group, headed by a brigadier, has been tasked with ensuring Musharraf’s security. General Musharraf has also decided to retain his current military staff after resigning as army chief, it was learnt. This includes a full time military secretary, deputy military secretary and deputy chief of staff.

It is too early and premature to say what legacy Gen. Musharraf is leaving as COAS and how he will be remembered. Only time will tell. After all, he is still going to rule us for another 5 years (atleast he thinks that way). So what if he is wearing a suit this time. But lets just hope that Gen. Kayani stays away from politics and takes serious steps to improve the deteriorating image of Pakistan Army.

139 responses to “Gen. Musharraf to become Mr. Musharraf on Thursday”

  1. Nayab Khan says:

    Check this, so much encouraging:
    http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy =2&forumID=3870&edition=1&ttl=20071129172930&#pagi nator

    Kruman; why are you running? do you have no more arguments to win on?

    AM; thats brilliant. I hope it works out well, all responsibility on Pakistanies now, if the majority chooses to sell their vote then the minority will have to live with the corrupt politicians but if they choose wisely i am sure PML-Q will form goverment again, hopefully will more honest people.

  2. AM says:

    Regarding some peoples concerns about “free and fair” elections, this is what I understand so far about the electoral reforms BB convinced Musharraf to initiate (she is good for something apparently):

    1. We are going to have thousands of international and local observors.

    2. Political parties will be able to appoint their own agents to monitor the voting and counting.

    3. The counting will be done at the polling booth in front of the observers and agents and the results will be announced right then and there at the polling booth – instead of being sent to Islamabad.

    4. Ballot boxes to be transparent, reducing the chances of fake votes already present inside (not sure what percentage of the ballot boxes will be like this, and whether the political party agents can do anything to ensure non-transparent ballot boxes do not have votes in them – I imagine they could simply peek in)

    Given all of this, it seems we will have quite a bit of transparency in the election process. If none of this happens, then accusations of fraud might be justified, but we will have to wait and see. Right now this seems to be the process to be followed. Clarifications on any incorrect information are welcome.

  3. AM says:

    I apologize if my comments came across as suggesting that all those who oppose Musharaf support terrorism – that is not what I mean to to say at all. I was just suggesting that there are many Musharraf opponents (the anti “enlightened-moderation” crowd mostly) who share some of the beliefs of those who use violence and intimidation to advance their warped version of Islam.

    We don’t talk about “killing our Muslim brothers” when we hang a murderer, or when a dacoit is killed by police – but I see quite a few people criticizing the GoP for acting against people who are engaging in criminal activity just because those criminals hang a “In the name of Islam” sign around their necks. That is intellectually dishonest. People resorting to such “killing innocent Pakistani/Muslim brother” canards are either so lost in anti-Musharaf sentiment that they cannot appreciate one of the few good things he has done for Pakistan, or they really subscribe to a twisted view of the world.

  4. RE Saheb

    With due apologies: have you heard of ‘due process’ before anyone is sent to jail? On the one hand this website and its visitors are crying out loud for judicial independence, the rule of law and Constitution and on the other there are so many who want this or that to be ‘hanged’, jailed and God-knows-what..

  5. Mus says:

    This is how Gen.Kiyani,is described in the Western press:
    “Thoughtful,thinking,chain-smoking and staunchly pro-US,Gen.Kiyani assumes the role of Pakistan’s top boss”.
    His credentials say he is a graduate of a US military academy and has done “MA in war studies”.

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