General Knowledge

It was January 1980. Just 11 months earlier, the Shah of Iran had beendeposed. The King of Kings, who traced his lineage back to Cyrus the Great, hadcelebrated 25 centuries of Persian monarchy in the ruins of the imperial capitalat Persepolis in October 1971.

A hundred million dollars were spent on entertaining and hosting dignitariesfrom around the globe. Cooks flown in from Maxim’s of Paris served up a dinnerfeaturing peacock breast.

The man who claimed that he had launched a white revolution from the PeacockThrone now sat in an ordinary chair in Panama facing David Frost, the Britishtalk show host. Frost asked the Shah about the crimes against humanity that hadbeen committed by the Savak. Without blinking an eyelid, the Shah stated that hedid not know that his secret police had tortured anyone. The fact that he hadcreated an authoritarian state in which such acts were de rigueur did not botherhim.

In May 1977, former US President Richard Nixon, a great friend of the Shah, wassitting across from David Frost in scenic southern California. Three yearsprior, Nixon had resigned in the wake of political outrage triggered by theWatergate scandal. The climax came when Frost asked Nixon if had broken the lawby covering up the burglary to which Nixon replied, ‘Well, when the presidentdoes it that means it is not illegal.’

He went on to cite a statement that President Lincoln had made during the CivilWar: ‘Actions which would be unconstitutional, could become lawful ifundertaken for the purpose of preserving the Constitution and the Nation.’Frost gasped and stated that there was no parallel between the crisis facingLincoln and the crisis facing Nixon. 

It has been more than a year since Gen Pervez Musharraf removed his vaunted‘second skin’, the army uniform, and almost a year since he resigned aspresident. He is busy globetrotting as a celebrity, commanding speaking fees inthe $100,000 to 200,000 range. In the speeches, he talks of how Pakistan is amoderate Muslim state that is vigorously pursuing the fight against terrorismand consequently deserves financial aid on an unprecedented scale from the worldat large. But no one has yet put some really tough questions to him about hisrole in mismanaging the war on terror. Would it not be nice if Frost, who is nowworking for Al Jazeera, were to put a few questions to the former generalin a globally televised event? Here is a ‘thought experiment’ on what thatconversation may sound like.

Frost: It is said of the Emperor Augustus that he found Rome made of clayand left it made of marble. You ruled Pakistan for eight years and commanded thearmy for nine. Yet some people argue that the strategic culture of the nationwas more toxic when you left the scene than when you had arrived on the scene.What do you say to them?

Musharraf: During my tenure, we had unprecedented economic growth. Welaid the foundation of one of four mega dams that were to bring energy and waterindependence to Pakistan and we completed Phase I of the new port of Gwadar. Weheld elections and began a transition to real democracy. We stabilised relationswith India and were on the verge of signing a peace accord on Kashmir. And wearrested more terrorists than any other country. These are no meanaccomplishments. 

Frost: If things were that good, why did you declare a state ofemergency on the Nov 3, 2007?

Musharraf: Certain misguided and disgruntled political elements engagedin a conspiracy to bring down my government. They created a threat to law andorder and left me with no choice but to break the law. 

Frost: But the people in the vanguard of the movement were thecountry’s leading jurists and barristers.

Musharraf:  If you are suggesting they were honourable men, Idon’t buy that for a second. They were furthering their own personal politicalagendas. I also suspect a foreign hand was behind the movement to depose me.

Frost: You continue to talk of enlightened moderation. But you led theextremists to war against India at Kargil and until pressured by the US after9/11, you did nothing to rein them in. A few years later, you were stilldefending the freedom fighters in Kashmir. Later, you modified this position andsaid you would go after foreign terrorists. You were simply unwilling to seethat terror was a homegrown problem. Now that the Taliban are less than 100miles from Islamabad, do you still see terror as a foreign problem?

Musharraf: I did more to counter terrorism than any other leader, whetherin Pakistan or abroad. And I have always maintained that we have to get to theroot of the problem that turns people into terrorists or we will lose this war.

Frost:You seem to suggest that if people have a political problem, theyhave a right to carry out terrorist attacks. Isn’t the root problem theculture of fighting proxy wars that the Pakistani military had inculcated in themyriad extremist groups it has funded and armed?

Musharraf: No, I disagree completely. The army has done more for thecountry than any other institution. It has never let the people down. It hasonly intervened politically when national survival demanded it. And, in my view,to keep the army out, we have to bring the army in.

During the Frost interviews, Nixon found himself on trial in the court of publicopinion. President Ford’s pardon had shielded him from undergoing a judicialtrial. Since he has friends in high places, it is unlikely that Musharraf willbe tried in a court of law for his crimes against the constitution.

But the people of Pakistan have a right to know what really happened during theMusharraf tenure. They need to understand that the major problems the country isgoing through today are a legacy of his rule in which all political institutionswere demolished. If that link is not established, the nation will simply beinviting another coup.

It would be good if Frost, or someone like him, took on this assignment ofhaving a comprehensive and thorough interview with the general.

Ahmad Faruqui  is an associate of the Pakistan Security Research Unitat the University of Bradford.