We have all seen more of General Perves Musharraf, probably in the last few weeks than ever before. So, who is he? Why does he risk helping the United States? What are his goals, and why has the government and media of the United States taken such a bizarre liking towards him?
The Pakistani Army General was born in Delhi, India in 1943. His family then emigrated to Pakistan during the bloody partitioning of the Indian sub-continent. During the years 1949-1956, he spent some time in Turkey and can converse fluently in Turkish.
He took part in military training at the Royal College of Defense Studies in the United Kingdom. He is also a graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta, Pakistan, and the National Defense College. His hard and dedicated work paid off when he was appointed director-general of military operations by the now-exiled former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. Soon after, he took full charge of the Pakistani Armed Forces.
In October 1999, General Musharraf's army took over full control of Pakistan in a military coup. The West was worried as Pakistan seemed to be, at this point, an unstable nuclear country. The United States, in particular, condemned the actions of Musharraf. Prior to the coup, the Pakistani government was voted in by the traditional democratic style, and the prime minister then was Nawaz Sharif, who is in exile now, in Saudi Arabia.
One of the main issues that triggered Musharraf to take over, was when the military was ordered to pull back Pakistani guerrillas who had crossed into Indian-controlled territory in Kashmir. For many in the army, this was a humiliating setback in the continuing confrontation with India. Musharraf was fired by Sharif, just before the coup took place, which, on Sharif's behalf was a very risky action. When one deals with the Pakistani Army recklessly, someone will pay the price.
The coup was, thankfully, swift and was not bloody, as previous coups from around the world had been. The general Pakistani public seemed to support the coup, as they were saddened by the constant corruption, lies and theft of previous governments.
A military coup was nothing new to Pakistan, as the previous General ruler, Zia ul-Haq led a military coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and became president in 1978. In the process of doing so, he enforced Marshal Law throughout Pakistan. Zia ul-Haq also made strong efforts with other Muslim nations to bring an end to the long war between Iran and Iraq, and it was also he who fought a war by proxy in Afghanistan and saved Pakistan from a direct war with Soviet Union.
Zia ul-Haq's time in office proved to be a turning point in the history of Pakistan, as it was he who introduced a fundamentalist Islamic regime and restricted political activity.
As time went on, the Pakistani parliament wanted more freedom and power. After 11 years of rule, Zia-ul-Haq once again made the same false promises with the nation to hold fresh elections within next 90 days. Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Ali Bhutto, was back in Pakistan, and this was one of the most difficult positions that Zia ul-Haq had to face in his political career. The only option left for him was to repeat history and postpone the elections once again.
However, before making the crucial political decision, Zia-ul-Haq was assassinated on August 17, 1988. The plane he was traveling on with most of his military elite, and the United States' Ambassador to Pakistan exploded in flames, the cause, probably by a bomb which was on board.
To this day, it is not known who carried out the assassination, though many speculate both the American government and the Pakistani Intelligence Agency, together, were involved. People believe that the United States could not afford Pakistan to oppose Geneva Accord and thus they removed the biggest hurdle in their way. Another speculation points to the Russians, over the Soviet-Afghani Cold War. Pakistan then began to start over, as a democracy. However, the Islamic Fundamentalist groups, that Zia initiated, remained.
What Musharraf does next will become a defining point in Pakistani history. Musharraf may be an Army General, as Zia ul-Haq was, but the main difference is that Musharraf does not condone Islamic hardliners. He is not anti-Islam, he is just anti-Islamic Fundamentalism - a huge difference between both. I mention this, because, if one walks around the streets of Quetta, a city which borders Afghanistan, and asks an Islamic hardliner to explain any part of the Qu'ran, chances are, one would receive an incorrect answer. These uneducated few, learn everything they know about Islam, from corrupt clerics (or Mullahs). A clear example of a corrupt Mullah with a distorted view of Islam, is the Taliban's Mullah Muhammad Omar. This is another issue entirely.
Musharraf probably wants to do away with the militant clerics that has caused a lot of suffering for Pakistan, both economically and politically. He has already removed many Islamic key figures in the government. However, already, we see, that he has been threatened with assassination or another coup. Many threats came from one of the strongest religious groups in Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami.
At first, I condemned Musharraf's coup, but a few months after, I sided reluctantly with him, . Now, however, Musharraf has my full support. He has proven many people wrong, particularly the United States, which we are seeing now.
How will he proceed to remove the militant clerics in Pakistan? Only time will tell...