Credibility on the Line?

The translation of Pervez Musharraf's autobiography into Urdu, the official language of Pakistan, was named "Pakistan First". This version, interestingly, did exclude some details previously included in the English edition. Atilla Iftikhar comments

One of the details that the Urdu version of "In the Line of Fire" lacked, was the handing over of terror-suspects – without any trial – to the US for financial rewards. Most Pakistani readers, of course, consider Musharraf's handing over of terror-suspects, many of which are Pakistani citizens, to the US detention camp in Guantanamo for financial rewards an unfair and un-Constitutional act.

Commentators in Pakistan have remarked that all Pakistani terror-suspects deserve fair trials in their country and that their crimes must be proven before anyone is turned over to the United States.

Extrajudicial arrests and killings

From January 2002 to August 2005 the United States has reportedly given $ 3.6 billion to Pakistan; these funds were mainly intended to boost the Pakistani capability in the fight against terrorism. Payments of approximately $ 900 million are expected for the years 2006 and 2007. In this context, a growing number of people in Pakistan think that Musharraf's deal with George W. Bush will continue to pose a serious threat to basic human rights of Pakistani citizens, and that there might be extrajudicial arrests and killings.

Musharraf claims that the economy of Pakistan is recovering because of his policies on good governance and accountability, but independent experts argue that the economic recovery is a result of Musharraf's cozy relationship with the Bush administration.

The killing of some 83 people inside a religious seminary in the Bajaur Agency (district) along the Pak-Afghan border by Pakistani helicopter gun-ships in October 2006 caused a great uproar in the Pakistani public. While the Musharraf government is keeping the area shut-off to journalists and international aid agencies, most Pakistanis are convinced that all of those killed in the Bajaur air-strike were innocent students – and that they were victims of the US aircrafts that had flown in over the border from Afghanistan.

Musharraf had coolly denied the allegations, declaring that the students were all but innocent and that the air-strike was a necessary measure in the fight against terrorism.

In the backdrop of the "In the Line of Fire" autobiography, nearly all independent security and terrorism experts in Pakistan believe that the strike was initiated by the US, illustrating again Bush's commitment and willingness to strike anywhere inside Pakistani territory. Consequently, a great number of Pakistanis have come to believe that Musharraf is now willing to execute Pakistani citizens in order to attract US money.

Unholy alliance with corruption

When several powerful politicians from the former Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan Peoples Party were embraced by Musharraf to form a government after his coming to power, a great number of commentators raised their eyebrows. Several of these prominent politicians forming an alliance with Musharraf were no less corrupt compared to the ousted former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif or Mrs. Benazir Bhutto.

However, in his autobiography, Musharraf only had praise to offer for those high-ranking politicians. Is it because they did not challenge his un-Constitutional actions? One is easily tempted to think just that.

It is alarming that many of the politicians of which Musharraf speaks so well of are notorious in tax-frauds, connected to land-annexing Mafias, extortionists and even murderers. This could also explain why crime rates in the Punjab province, the largest in the Pakistani federation, is up by some 30% in 2006 compared to the previous year according to statistics releases by the Punjab police. At any rate, Musharraf is not the tough anti-corruption guy he likes to present himself as.

The main cause of an increase in crime cases is the growing problem of land-annexing Mafias and person extortions. Corruption is one more issue on the increase according to figures released by Transparency International Pakistan.

Desperate for allies

While few consider Musharraf to be corrupt in person, over 67% of the public consider that his rule from 2002 to 2006 has been overwhelmingly corrupt, simply because the President-General has embraced corrupt leaders to safeguard his grip on power.

This is a sharp increase from the 2002 poll when only 32% considered the Musharraf administration corrupt. The explanation for this increase in corruption and nepotism is primarily due to the fact that Musharraf is open to include almost any friendly politician in his ranks as long they do not challenge his rule – regardless of past or present corruption cases against the person in question.

Several prominent politicians from the Pakistan Muslims League and the patriots of the Pakistan People's Party even joined into the ranks of Musharraf for no other reason than to safeguard themselves against ongoing and incoming corruption cases.

Rumble in the provinces

Inter-Provincial integration and harmony is another area where the conditions have deteriorated under the rule of Musharraf, in particular most recently. The situation in Balochistan, the South-Western province bordering both Afghanistan and Iran is becoming a low intensity civil war, in particular after the killing of tribal leader Anwar Bugti by the Pakistani security forces in late August 2006.

Although many independent experts were critical of Anwar Bugti in Balochistan, equally many felt the air-strike which killed him was unjustifiable. The Musharraf government chose a path of military might in Balochistan which still has not produced any short or long-term security and stability in the province and the fear is now that the attacks in the strategically important North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Bajaur will also again deteriorate the stability in one more crucial province.

The root problem with Musharraf is that he uses almost exclusively military means to tackle the internal strategic challenges of Pakistan. Whatever the arguments going in favour of Musharraf's policies both in Balochistan and the NWFP, the crude reality is leading to more tensions and conflicts between the federal authorities in Islamabad and the provincial centres in Quetta and Peshawar.

Atilla Iftikhar

Qantara.de

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