Daily Times

The drowning political dynasty of Nawaz Sharif and family in the back drop of Supreme Court verdict and its aftermath has injected new life in many from within and outside the political pitch of Pakistani politics. PTI is calibrating its political strategy and has become overly hopeful about their chances of winning the upcoming elections. Asif Ali Zardari is redrawing his plan of political chess board. MQM (all types) look at it as an opportunity since they would be in a better bargaining position in case of hung parliament or thin majority scenario. General (retd) Pervez Musharraf having ruled the country for over nine years (1999-2008) and sitting idle for almost a decade now, has also started working out his political options. He has proactively announced an alliance, grand by nomenclature and number of political parties only. These parties and personalities have either out-lived their political utility or lack political clout and lack vote bank even in their own constituencies while some have nuisance only like Pervez Musharraf himself. This alliance would be headed by a general-cum-politician who does not even own a defined constituency to meet the basic credentials of a politician. What are the leadership, governance and political credentials which can make the nation hopeful and give general sahib the conviction and confidence that he will be able to do things which he could not do as an all powerful president?

A man whose peak maturity years are full of judgmental errors wants to try his luck again. In the military domain, leaving aside execution aspects which could be put in the domain of indirect responsibility, Kargil episode is an example where a military leader grossly underestimated the enemy reaction and misread the dictates of global, regional and domestic environment. These two areas fell in the direct responsibility of the then COAS General Pervez Musharraf. A strategic vulnerability was attempted to be exploited at wrong point in time following an ambitious strategy with insufficient preparations. Notwithstanding the impact of Kargil war in geo-political or regional spheres, by the time the war was over, an unbridgeable gap had been created in civil military relations. Its manifestation was seen after few months in October 99 and then General Pervez Musharraf ruled Pakistan for next 9 years till he was ceremonially ousted from the presidency in 2008.

Kargil episode is an example where a military leader grossly underestimated the enemy and misread the dictates of the global, regional and domestic environment

In the political or executive domain, having managed the higher judiciary, he got an unprecedented mandate to take the country on the path of real development with no political handicap or institutional limitations. He never displayed any political or national vision despite a good start with institutional reforming. NADRA could be termed as the only success story. NAB became victim to his own political limitations. NRB attempted changes in bureaucratic and local body systems but lacked leadership and practical approach to affect long term changes. Political team led by the serving COAS revolved around Chaudhry brothers which speaks volumes of his political acumen and sense of judgment. On the domestic political front, he was having alliance of religious parties in his total support with unprecedented numbers in the National Assembly and two provinces while on regional and international domain, General Pervez Musharraf was fighting a war against international terrorism in post 9/11 scenario with a ‘liberal’ image. Whatever happened in Swat and surrounding areas including majority of FATA and its adjacent settled areas was nourished in those years of MMA. This religious alliance gave space to religious extremists who later became monsters and the nation continues to pay a heavy price for their shenanigans.

General Sahib’s strategic vision on the western borders has led Pakistan to a point where major international players even today feel that he betrayed them while similar sentiments of betrayal about him exist at the domestic level.  On the eastern front, having taken a twist under pressure and a virtual freeze, he could not channelise the available resource, the bulk of which fell in the hands of Pakistani Taliban and other banned organisations worsening domestic security milieu. Series of judgmental errors on domestic front like NRO, dismissal of the chief justice, Lal Masjid episode and appointment of new COAS led to his exit from power corridors still fairly ceremonially. An impartial scrutiny of General Pervez Musharraf tenure as military commander, chief executive and as president clearly reflects that he acts first and thinks later, while Pakistan desperately needs a leader who thinks first and then acts wisely and maturely.

The former president should now realise the ground realities of Pakistan’s political atmosphere. Politics has never been something he mastered. Faulty political judgment is manifested even in the kind of alliance announced by him recently. If Musharraf thinks the establishment will be able to engineer a political setup and then request him to head it, he is wrong.  He should refrain from making another judgmental error. More importantly, he needs to be watchful since the tree of judicial awakening has started giving fruits.

The writer is a PhD scholar with diverse experience and international exposure. He possesses conscious knowledge about phenomenon of terrorism and extremism coupled with realistic understanding of geo political, social and security environment

Published in Daily Times, December 22^nd 2017.