A man convinced he can restore Pakistan's glory

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 20. ``In all sincerity and honesty I believe that I have role to play. I sincerely believe I have a job to do. I cannot and will not let down the nation. Hence the decision to take over as the President,'' said Gen. Pervez Musharraf, minutes after he stepped into the shoes of the office of President of Pakistan.

The statement is a reflection of Gen. Musharraf's deep conviction that he is a ``messenger of Allah'' and has a duty to restore Pakistan's pristine glory. He said this in so many words in his Independence Day address to the nation on August 14 last year.

Since taking over power after the bloodless coup of October 12, 1999, he has been on record as saying that the job has been thrust on him. He did not miss a single opportunity in the last 18 months to emphasise that a quirk of history catapulted him to the top job.

He also asserted that he was neither scared nor would he ever be bothered by consequences of any of his actions that he believes are in national interest.

Call it self-delusion, grandeur or sincerity. That is Gen. Musharraf. His becoming the Chief of the Army Staff during Mr. Nawaz Sharif's tenure as Prime Minister was a surprise. Born in Delhi and transported to newly-born Pakistan during Partition, the mohajir (Urdu-speaking migrant from India) was an unexpected choice to lead the Army.

The General began his military service in 1964 and rose through the ranks despite not belonging to the predominantly Punjabi officer class.

His hour of destiny came in 1998 when the powerful Army Chief, Gen. Jehangir Karamat, resigned following differences with Mr. Sharif over the Army's role in decision-making. Elevating Gen. Musharraf to the top post in the Army was seen as a ``master stroke'' by Mr. Sharif as it was presumed that a mohajir could hardly be expected to build a support base within the forces.

But as events later showed, it was a blunder that would cost Mr. Sharif dearly. Gen. Musharraf upstaged Mr. Sharif when the latter tried to oust him unceremoniously and even tried to divert the plane bringing him back from Colombo. The rest is history.

Much before the ``October revolution'', there were reports of anger within the Army over the Lahore peace pact between Mr. Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee. Obviously Mr. Sharif did not pay heed to the reports.

The Kargil conflict followed weeks after Mr. Vajpayee's ``historic'' Lahore bus yatra. Gen. Musharraf was considered the architect of the ``adventure'' and after his own ouster, Mr. Sharif accused the General and his boys of keeping him in the ``dark'' about the Kargil operations.

After ousting Mr. Sharif for his alleged failure on all fronts and a conspiracy to spread dissension in the Army, Gen. Musharraf took over amid fanfare and grand plans for ``re- construction'' of Pakistan. His seven-point reform agenda received all-round acclaim.

The first few months of his rule also witnessed a new low in India-Pakistan relations. Gen. Musharraf became the first military man in Pakistan to justify jehad (holy war) in the context of Kashmir and `obduracy' of India.

The initial euphoria slowly evaporated as he went back on his commitment to tame the extremist outfits. Hope turned to despair but the General was not convinced with his critics' arguments. Accusing them of spreading despair, he told them to have patience.

Tension in the sub-continent initially increased markedly - with both sides adopting hostile positions. The hijack of an Indian Airlines plane to Afghanistan in 1999 - which India blamed on Pakistan-backed groups - and the rising tide of violence in Kashmir plunged relations to a new low.

Gen. Musharraf eagerly awaits his summit meeting with Mr. Vajpayee next month, in his new capacity as the head of state-cum-chief executive. Now, New Delhi should have no doubt as to with whom it is dealing.

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