Editorial»
Assassination bid on Musharraf
DEC 27 - The assassination attempt on General Musharraf needs explicit condemnation. No ifs and buts about it. Many Pakistanis differ with his worldview and consider his prescriptions for the nation less than satisfactory. Pakistanis may also consider his desire to continue in the saddle not in the national interest. But any act of terrorism directed against Musharraf is a priori evil. It also solves nothing and has the potential of seriously harming the country.
No one is indispensable but had these terrorists succeeded, there would have been a great deal of chaos and confusion. Pakistan’s democracy is not perfect, some would say it is non-existent, but it is evolving and gradually more space is being created for civil rule. Pakistan’s economy has a long way to go but there are some hopeful signs. Both would have suffered a setback had there been an unfortunate conclusion to this act of terrorism.
Assassination can only be a weapon for people whose brains don’t work. Even if they succeed in removing a person, the essential structures that make them an enemy or a target do not disappear. If this sounds obtuse let me try to clarify it.
Let us assume for a minute that people targeting General Musharraf were Al Qaeda or its various allies in the country. Do they seriously believe that the decision to support the Americans in the war against terror was the General’s alone? It by definition is a corporate decision arrived at through consensus by the higher echelons of the state.
There may have been reservations in some quarters but these are minor quibbles and largely confined to tactics. A substantial majority had to be on board for the General to take the decision so quickly. What purpose then is served by attacking him? If anything it is counter-productive giving greater vigor to the Al Qaeda hunt.
Considering that SAARC summit is around the corner, another example may be in order. Some people believe that General Musharraf has been targeted by those forces that do not want rapprochement with India. They remind us that a similar assassination attempt was also mounted against Nawaz Sharif after he made overtures to India. Particular attention has been given to the fact that in his case it was also a bridge and the explosion was delayed. In other words, both times the attempts have been a warning to stop them from the path of friendship with India.
Again I come back to the point made earlier. Is it possible that the recent normalisation moves with India are being made in isolation or that it is only the person of General Musharraf who is pushing them through? People who believe this understand neither our institutional ethos nor the General.
Over the last four years, some aspects of General Musharraf’s way of working have come to the fore. He is above all a company man, meaning that he reflects in his decisions the institutional ethos of the armed forces. His narratives of history are that of a military man (for example his view of Ayub, Yahya, Bhutto and the East Pakistan crisis), his stance on politics or his opinion of the politicians is that of a fauji, and his analysis of military’s role in the country is no different from that of any other officer, young or old.
As a commander he would obviously be giving a lead to his subordinates or pushing one thing against the other, but in the end he would go by the general opinion. It is my belief that the decision to normalise relations with India and seek a durable peace has broad support within the military.
If some people are trying to warn him through this attempt on his life, and I don’t believe this theory, they are pushing against the tide of opinion in the military. Even if they succeed, which one hopes would never happen, they will fail.
Pakistan is on the brink of a major historical change. Its military, as a corporate body, has decided that while not giving up the centrality of the Kashmir issue, time has come to normalise relations with India.
On the other side, Mr Vajpayee has made a very significant remark after his party’s victory in the state elections. He said that moves towards peace with Pakistan are more attractive to the Indian voter than war mongering. This means that in India it is politically viable, in fact desirable, to seek peace with Pakistan.
Therefore, if there are any idiotic terrorists who think that they can derail the peace process by targeting General Musharraf, they are mistaken. Yes they can create temporary chaos and confusion, but if there is substance to these peace moves, and I believe there is, they cannot derail it.
General Musharraf should reconsider two aspects after this attempt on his life. He needs to review his attitude towards radical fundamentalist forces within the country and he needs to make a serious attempt at reconciliation with mainstream political parties.
Al Qaeda and its local manifestations has been a target of the Pakistani government since the decision to support America in the war against terror. But, a fine line has been drawn between them and home grown Jihadi forces who have been useful allies of the military in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
There is some evidence that the very own Jihadis have been in cahoots with Al Qaeda. They have been providing its people logistics support, safe houses, false document ~ ~ tion and occasionally manpower. We may have drawn a line between foreign elements and the locals, but they have not.
Time has come to make a choice. Is the General going to align himself solidly with the liberal forces in the country or is he going to continue to molly coddle these radical obscurantist elements. It must be remembered that some of these people also have sectarian links and are responsible for acts of terror within the country.
One thing is clear. If nothing is done now, they will continue to gain strength and a time may come when they start to pose an even greater challenge to the state than they do now. This bud, or rather half-grown flower, has to be nipped.
General Musharraf should also rethink his attitude towards mainstream political parties and generally towards liberal forces in the country. Yes, they disagree with him on a number of issues, but this disagreement is within the democratic parameter. Their discourse is not of terror, their politics not of violence. They are adversaries not enemies.
The line that needs to be drawn is between the believers of civilised democratic discourse and the perpetrators of violence. Differences within a democratic polity can be resolved through dialogue. Feuds in the annals of terror only have bloody consequences. General Musharraf must choose his allies carefully. His adversaries may be his best friends.
A bold attempt at national reconciliation must start immediately. Let Benazir, Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif come back. Let the PPP and PML (N) who are adversaries in politics become partners in the war against terror. Let the liberal media who have serious differences with the General on policy become fellow travelers in the struggle against violence. This is the only path to national salvation.
(The writer is former senator, federal and Punjab Minister of Pakistan)
SAN-Feature ServicePosted on: 2003-12-28 05:07
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