A tiger which has tasted human blood, becomes more dangerous. Similarly, a politician, who enjoyed the status of being in power, cannot tolerate to stay wingless. After a 4-year self imposed exile, Genl. Parvez Musharraf of Pakistan took a hasty decision of home-coming as the scheduled May general election appeared to him as an opportunity to grab power once more. The under-current indicates that the Saudi Arabian royal family brokered peace between Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif as a result of which musharraf’s return road to Pakistan was paved. According to the scheduled programme, he was to be received in a big procession of his supporters at Karachi, which was disallowed by the administration.
Musharraf made a calculated move under the impression that under the present non-peforming Zardari regime, the people, out of frustration would automatically flock around him. They will recall how earlier he had appeared as a saviour when Pakistan was in a chaotic situation under Nawaz Sharif. In his estimation, his credential includes also a strong reply to India by going atomic. In Pakistan, to abuse India is a welcome quality of any politician and he adequately demonstrated that in Kargil. He not only strengthened internal peace but the economy of the country also started looking up. These are rallying points in his favour, the Genl. thinks.
In his plan of things, what he ignores is that for his lust for power, he dethroned an elected government and forced him Sharif to leave the country. It is something else that the same punishment boomeranged on him later. Even today in Pakistan a good number of aware people charge him with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti, a Baloch leader. The court cases in this connection, involving him are still pending. Musharraf sacked over 50 judges who challenged his absolute power. The people have still not forgotten the massacre of Lal Masjid. Last but the least, who can forget that through his erroneous Kargil misadventure, he brought Pakistan on the brink of a devastating hot war with India.
If the above pros and cons of Musharraf’s plan are taken into consideration, there will be no problem in deducing that he is on a dicey course. In future, instead of occupying the presidential chair in Islamabad, he may land in a strictly guarded cell of a Pak jail. Moreover, he has also to protect himself from the lurking threat of the Pakistan Talibans.
The article contains some forecasts about the future of the Genl. They are not very difficult so as no other person can guess. He himself also must be aware of the things in the offing. Then why did he go for such a stake. Has the Saudi gobetween betrayed him? It requires some deeper thinking.
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