Musharraf not to be arrested if he returns to Pakistan to appear before court: The paradoxical legacy of Gen Musharraf

 

The paradoxical legacy of Gen Musharraf

AGRA: President Pervez Musharraf is greeted by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee prior to summit talks at the Jaypee Palace, on July 15,

I first met Gen Musharraf at Army House in Rawal­pindi, ten days after the coup which brought him to power in Oct 1999. His piquant sense of humor, frankness, and affable personality came as a marked contrast to the military ruler that came before him.

Unlike the austere Zia, Musharraf was known for a certain flamboyance in dress and a penchant for music and dancing. He was an officer of the old school with a secular bend. He came across as a moderate and pragmatic man as he talked about problems and challenges faced by his new government.

He clearly enjoyed being at the helm of the political power of ‘the world’s most ungovernable nation’. “It is a tough job, but the feeling of being in charge when having the confidence makes it enjoyable,” he asserted.

His confidence had been boosted by the public euphoria and a milder-than-expected international reaction that greeted his coup. The general, who described himself as a ‘reluctant coup maker’, made it very clear that there was no question of the country returning to democracy soon and promised to carry out ruthless accountability of politicians to clean the system.

Musharraf’s background bore all the hallmarks of the maverick, yet intensely driven politician he was to become.

The second of three sons, he was born into a middle-class Delhi family that migrated to Pakistan after Partition in August 1947. The family was settled in Karachi, where his father was a foreign ministry employee. His mother was a rarity for her era, an educated Muslim working woman who had a long career with the International Labour Organisation.

Musharraf received his army commission in 1964. He almost got thrown out for indiscipline a few months later. He then faced court martial as a second lieutenant for another disciplinary infringement. The proceedings were stopped because of the war with India in 1965, while a gallantry award saved him from court martial. He later received another gallantry award in 1971.

Despite his high performance, his indiscipline almost brought his career to an end again as a lieutenant colonel. “My rise to the post of army chief is a miracle,” Musharraf himself admitted. Known for his impetuous and decisive character, his fellow officers described him as a brilliant tactician.

Gen Musharraf was serving as a corps commander Mangla when he was appointed army chief by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and it did not take long for him to assert himself.

As the chief, Musharraf presided over a military operation in Kargil with far-reaching consequences that caused a terrifying escalation in India-Pakistan tensions. It also brought to a grinding halt a major opportunity for peace with India, which had blossomed when Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee took the Friendship Bus to Lahore in Feb 1999.

The Kargil misadventure also brought the conflict between the civil and military leadership to a head, which by many accounts culminated in Nawaz Sharif’s decision to sack Gen Musharraf while he was on a flight back from Sri Lanka. This triggered the military takeover and the overthrow of another elected government by the all-powerful military.

The Oct 12, 1999 coup was yet another episode of the Pakistani soap opera of alternation between authoritarian rule by an elected government and authoritarian rule by a self-appointed leader from the army.

But this was a takeover with a difference; Musharraf did not impose martial law. He initially called himself chief executive. An admirer of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of the modern secular state of Turkey, he presented himself as a reformist, promising to take Pakistan down a liberal course.

His first major policy speech announcing a seven-point agenda, which included the eradication of Islamic extremism and sectarianism, received widespread approbation. He pledged to undo Zia’s radical legacy by transforming Pakistan into a moderate Muslim state. The liberal profile of his cabinet, comprising Western-educated professionals, raised hopes for better governance.

Meanwhile, the crisis unleashed by Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States provided Musharraf an opportunity to end Pakistan’s international isolation, as well as his own. By joining the US-led war on terror, Pakistan was back in the international limelight.

Formerly, ostracised as a military dictator, Musharraf became a valued friend to the West. The lifting of sanctions and direct economic support from the US also helped ease Pakistan’s financial difficulties. All this greatly strengthened his position.

Like other military rulers before him, Musharraf also tried to establish a hybrid political system with the help of a ‘king’s party’. In an effort to legitimize military rule, he co-opted politicians, further corrupting the political culture. He strengthened the system of patronage that he had pledged to eliminate and political engineering further weakened institutions.

Although keen to distinguish himself from those who came before, Musharraf did follow their script; like Zia, he too held a referendum in an attempt to legitimize his rule.

The killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in an army commando raid on his hideout was a case of political assassination that continues to haunt the nation. The murder of the Baloch leader marked the unraveling of Musharraf’s military-led government. The incident triggered a furious reaction in Balochistan and added fuel to an already-festering alienation.

Much like other authoritarians, Musharraf also tried to curtail the independence of the judiciary, and the interference in the judicial process started soon after he took power. Judges were asked to take an oath of allegiance, but the chief justice at the time was not invited.

However, it would be his attempt to sack another CJP, Iftikhar Chaudhry, which would galvanize the political opposition against him into the lawyers’ movement.

Facing mass protests, Musharraf suspended the Constitution and declared a state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007, what was described as a second coup. Most superior court judges, including the chief justice, were detained. Strict controls were placed on the burgeoning private media in an attempt to contain anti-government protests. Under a draconian new law, TV networks were ordered to stop live news coverage and suspend political talk shows. It was an act of desperation as the general’s vulnerability increased.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi, following her dramatic return from exile, only deepened his troubles. With accusatory fingers being pointed at him, it seemed Musharraf had finally painted himself into a corner.

He eventually stepped down as president in Aug 2008, under threat of impeachment by the elected civilian government, installed after general elections that year.

Musharraf’s exit came after a deal brokered by the US, guaranteeing indemnity to the former president. In a cable sent to Washington and revealed by WikiLeaks, then-American ambassador Anne Patterson reported that Asif Zardari was committed to giving indemnity to Musharraf.

But the situation changed after Nawaz Sharif’s return to power. A treason case was filed more than five years after he stepped down and eventually a special court indicted Gen Musharraf on treason charges in 2014.

The treason trial was an explosive political issue and also a cause of friction between the military and the Sharif administration. The military was definitely not happy to see its former chief in the dock on treason charges. Interestingly, the former military ruler was tried not for his ‘original sin’ of staging a coup against an elected government, but rather for imposing an emergency and holding the Constitution in abeyance in 2007.

Musharraf was also implicated in other cases, including the Lal Masjid operation, his property was ordered confiscated and his bank accounts frozen. Then, after a three-year travel ban, he was allowed to leave the country for medical treatment. He never returned and had been living in the UAE since 2016.

In the meantime, a special trial court convicted him in absentia and sentenced him to death, a major first in the country’s history. Predictably, the conviction provoked a robust rejection from the military leadership, which came out strongly in support of its former chief.

Musharraf leaves behind a mixed legacy. While he did initially stabilize the country’s political and economic situation and navigated some difficult times arising from the events of 9/11, his extraconstitutional actions weakened state institutions and set Pakistan back several years. It should be left to history to judge him.

ISLAMABAD: Former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, who usurped power after a coup in October 1999 and ruled Pakistan till 2008, breathed his last at age of 79 in Dubai, after a protracted battle with a rare disease, amyloidosis.

The news of his death first emerged on social media in the morning before making it to the mainstream media following confirmation by the Pakistani consulate in Dubai and the family of the former army chief. The condition of the former dictator was said to be critical for the past few months, as his organs started to fail due to the fatal illness.

The body of Mr. Musharraf, who will be laid to rest in Karachi, will be brought back to Pakistan thro­ugh a special flight that would leave for Dubai on Monday (today). In order to facilitate his family in the process of repatriation, the Cons­ulate General of Pakistan in Dubai has also issued a no-objection certificate (NOC). “We are in touch with the family and the consulate will facilitate in whatever way it can; the consulate has issued the no-objection certificate,” a media report quoted Consul General Hassan Afzal Khan as saying.

His illness came to light in 2018 when the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) announced that he was suffering from amyloidosis, a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body.

Body to be repatriated to Pakistan via ‘special flight’ as family, supporters mourn the loss

In June last year, the former military strongman was hospitalized for three weeks, prompting rumors of his death. However, his family had to issue a statement to refute these reports.

“Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living,” his family said at the time in a statement via Mr. Musharraf’s official Twitter account.

The former dictator left Pakistan for medical treatment in March 2016, two years after he was indicted by a court for suspending the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007. On Dec 17, 2019, a special court formed to hear the high treason case against the ex-dictator handed him a death sentence. However, the decision of the special court was suspended by a Lahore High Court bench.

Reactions

After the news of the death emerged, condolences started pouring in from all quarters, as politicians and civil society recalled the “mixed legacy” of the former military chief.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, through his personal Twitter handle, said: “I offer my condolences to the family of General (retired) Pervez Musharraf. May the departed soul rest in peace!”

President Arif Alvi also expressed sorrow over the death of the former army chief and expressed sympathy with the bereaved family.

Nawaz Sharif, whose government was dislodged by the former military chief in 1999, also condoled the death via his Twitter account.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a tweet said: “On the passing of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf my condolences and prayers go to his family. May Allah give them strength to bear this loss.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari replaced the display picture on his Twitter account with a photo of slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti in a symbolic gesture. It may be noted that the former strongman was accused in both murder cases.

In a series of tweets, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani expressed deep sorrow over the former president’s death and extended condolences to the grieving family.

In a statement issued immediately after the news of his demise, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad and all the services chiefs expressed their heartfelt condolences. “May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family,” the military’s media wing said.

In a tweet, ex-PM Yousuf Raza Gilani’s son Ali Musa Gilani said: “Musharraf is dead...Democracy is alive, people who died for this cause are alive. Musharraf rule not only took five years of my father’s life but took the childhood of many, including me.”

Former Pakistan ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi offered a prayer for the former president. “Gen Pervez Musharraf has passed away. May Allah rest him in peace. Ameen,” she said in a video message.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said Mr. Musharraf was a “great person” whose ideology was to always keep Pakistan first.

Musharraf — from military strongman to the forgotten man of politics

The former army chief who also held the office of the president passed away on Sunday.

Former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf passed away on Sunday after a protracted battle with a rare health condition called amyloidosis. He was 79.

Musharraf, who served as the army chief for almost nine years (1999-2008), became the 10th president of Pakistan in 2001 and held the position until early 2008.

He was born in pre-Partition Delhi on August 11, 1943. After the partition, his family settled in Karachi where he attended Saint Patrick’s School. Later, he joined the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul and graduated from the institution in 1964. He was subsequently commissioned into the Pakistan Army.

His first battlefield experience came during the 1965 Indo-Pak war and he served in the elite Special Services Group (SSG) from 1966-1972. During the 1971 war with India, Musharraf was a company commander of an SSG commando battalion. After 1971, he continued to excel in several military assignments and gained rapid promotions within the army.

In October 1998, he was appointed the chief of army staff by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. A year later, he overthrew Sharif’s government in a bloodless coup and later became the country’s president.

The 1999 coup

On October 12, 1999, troops took over the Prime Minister's House after Sharif prevented Musharraf from landing at Karachi airport upon his journey back from Sri Lanka.

On finding out, Musharraf declared a state of emergency, suspended the Constitution, and assumed the role of chief executive. There were no organized protests against the coup within Pakistan but the measure was thoroughly criticized by the international community. In June 2001, Musharraf became the president of Pakistan.

The presidency challenge

The 9/11 attacks took place just a few months after Musharraf became the president. He subsequently entered Pakistan into an alliance with the US in the latter’s ‘war on terror’, a decision the former military ruler has defended on several occasions.

Musharraf held a general election in October 2002 during which he allied himself with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and an alliance of six religious parties called Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. With this election, Musharraf was able to gather the required two-thirds majority to pass the 17th Amendment which helped in legitimizing the 1999 coup as well as several other measures adopted by him.

In January 2004, Musharraf won a confidence vote by both houses of the parliament and the four provincial assemblies by a majority of 56 percent and was declared elected in a process disputed by his political opponents.

In 2006, Musharraf’s autobiography titled In the Line of Fire was published.

In March 2007, Musharraf suspended then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after the latter refused to resign allegedly over abusing his office. The incident unleashed violent protests by lawyers and civil society activists and Musharraf’s handling of the events adversely impacted his position. On June 20, 2007, the Supreme Court reinstated the chief justice and declared Musharraf’s suspension of the former as void.

However, the chief justice was again deposed when Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in the country on November 3, 2007. Within 25 days of the emergency in place, Musharraf resigned from his position as the army chief, with General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani taking charge. Musharraf, who was still president at the time, finally lifted the emergency on December 15, 2007.

Resignation before impending impeachment

After giving Musharraf the chance to voluntarily resign, the PPP-led coalition government at the center — formed after the 2008 general elections — initiated a parliamentary procedure to impeach him. Musharraf initially refused to resign and the coalition began official proceedings for his ouster. He voluntarily left the post before the impeachment could be finalized.