Daily Times

It was flight EK 606 of
Emirate Airlines that took off from Dubai and reached Karachi on time on March 24. Pervez Musharraf was on time in another way too. He had promised his supporters that he would arrive within a week of the interim government. He fulfiled his promise. At the time of departure from Dubai, it was a scene to witness. Hundreds of people gathered to bid farewell and to shout slogans for his long life. About a 100 bought tickets to fly with him. Musharraf individually met all. All persons accompanying, as well as Musharraf himself, wore the Imam Zamin for good luck and protection. Begum Sehba Musharraf saw him off. One wonders what sentiments she must have had and how much she must have prayed for his safety. On the other hand, Musharraf was relaxed.

Musharraf arrived among many concerns of his well-wishers. He had threats to his personal security, as the Taliban had issued a fresh threat, stating that several hundred had been deputed, including sharp shooters and suicide bombers to kill Musharraf. He had legal cases and warrants of arrest, all waiting for him. His supporters at airport were restricted by security agencies, yet about 10,000 were present, and he addressed them. The crowd was demanding a show of ‘fist’ as power. He prayed for Pakistan and moved to his hotel. An interim bail had been granted by the Sindh High Court and that gave him a breather. Soon the TV showed that Musharraf was travelling to his hotel with full security and protocol. He is entitled to the security as a former president and chief of the army staff; government fulfiled its responsibility.

But the task ahead of Musharraf is not easy. His party is only two years old, and the its organisation is not tested. He still has to deal with court cases, and he also has to finalise the APML candidates for elections. A challenge is presented by the election commission’s strict regulations. Will the APML be able to contest in a substantial number of National and Provincial constituencies? This is yet to be seen. The chances of emerging as party with a substantial number can only be through some miracle. However, he may align with some other parties that are convinced that a change of leadership is essential for Pakistan. He may also have some understanding with such parties that believe in the betterment of the middle class and working classes. He is not likely to have anything to do with the feudal or dynastic parties.

Musharraf’s priorities as he declared to the media are: improvement in law and order, and in the economy. There is credibility to his plan due to his past performance. He took over when the country was on the verge of bankruptcy and on becoming a failed state. He successfully turned it around. A large number of people still remember that and consider him their ‘saviour’ to be.

Musharraf has declared his intention to contest for the National Election from Chitral where he built the Lowari Tunnel and connected it directly with Pakistan. He may also contest from Karachi. There are other options under consideration. He lodged at the Avari Hotel under heavy security, but he did walk around in the lawns and lobby, and could freely be seen by people in the breakfast lounge.

I had decided to stay until the confirmation of his bail on the 29th. There were all kinds of apprehensions; he could be denied extensions, he could be arrested. He had declared that he was ready for all situations. On the 28th, I got a viral infection in the lungs and I was in a bad shape. My desire to watch the court proceedings, and the consequent drama appeared jeopardised. Thanks to my doctor I improved but still had very low energy. But soon my desire to be a witness to a momentous event took the better of me. I got up and left for the Sindh High Court minutes before Musharraf’s departure. His security vehicles were arriving and soon the route would have been closed.

The entrance to the Sindh High Court was crowded by the supporters of the APML. Banners and slogans of ‘jeevay (long live) Musharraf’ were noticeable. The hearing of cases was scheduled in court number one and four on the second floor. Both these courts are at each end of the corridor, and the corridors were packed with people and many ‘black coats’. The buzz was around that the Chief Justice was in Karachi and a guessing game about results started. Suddenly, the black coats in the corridor rushed to court number one as the case was to start there. I could not match the pushing and pulling and was left behind while the door was closed. But I was able to be at a vantage point to observe. As Syed Pervez Musharraf was taken into the court through a secret doorway, some black coats started shouting against him. I could hardly believe that these sober looking men had so much lung power in them. They were shouting ‘Bail naheen jail’ and some other derogatory slogans. As they stopped for a breath the other parts of the crowd started shouting in favour of Musharraf. It was quite a scene, which continued for a while. Black coats making such rowdy noises in a court area seemed strange. Anyway, as soon as the bail was extended, the shouting black coats disappeared! A similar show later occurred in front of the court No.4, and silence followed once again as the extension of bail in Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto cases was granted. After this the suspense was over, the APML and Musharraf were on their way to contest elections.

By the time I was concluding this article it was reported that the APML candidates were filing nomination papers for every National and Provincial constituency. Meanwhile, government in Islamabad became restrictive and placed Musharraf on the ECL. It seems like a tug of war between the former president and the ‘neutral’ government has started.

The writer is the former CEO Pakistan National Council of the Arts; Chairman Fruit processing Industries; Chairman UNESCO Theatre Institute Pakistan; COO ‘ICTV’ USA, and currently, Senior Vice President APML(Central). He can be reached at naeemtahir37@gmail.com