Musharraf - The Dictator Reveals Himself (Much to the Embarrassment of the West)

Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule last night, plunging the nuclear power into crisis and triggering condemnation from leaders around the world.

The action to reassert his flagging authority was, he said, a response to Islamic militancy and to the 'paralysis of government by judicial interference'. He said that his country's sovereignty was at stake.

Judges and lawyers were arrested, troops poured on to city streets and television and radio stations were taken off the air. Musharraf also suspended the constitution and fired the chief justice, Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry, who spearheaded a powerful mass movement against him earlier this year.

Last night police arrested opposition politicians and senior lawyers including the chief justice's lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, and Imran Khan. 'Musharraf is acting like a spoiled child, holding the whole country hostage. These are the last days of Pervez Musharraf,' said Ahsan as he was escorted from his home into a police van. Ahsan, who leads the Supreme Court Bar Association, said that lawyers would launch a series of nationwide protests tomorrow.

Soldiers entered the Supreme Court in the late afternoon where Chaudhry and six other judges said Musharraf's declaration that he would rule under a provisional constitutional order was illegal. Chaudhry was reportedly under house arrest last night.

It is funny to see the establishment finally recognise what many have been saying for a long time. Pervez Musharraf is nothing more than a military dictator. The west was keen to ignore this as long as he played along with their game. However, in the light of the recent uprisings in Burma, his imposition of emergency rule and a brutal assault on the judiciary has meant that the west has no option other than to criticise him. If it were not for this assault, it is fairly likely that Musharraf would have been tolerated. After all, this is not the first time he has closed down independent television stations (that went by with barely a mutter). Now that world politicians are so publicly outraged, one question remains. Why did you tolerate a dictator for so long?

"Musharraf good for Pakistan"

That's according to the Wall Street Journal, the paper of the establishment. From the Associated Press of Pakistan:

ISLAMABAD, Jun 15 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf has been good for Pakistan as among other things tension with India over Kashmir eased during his tenure and the per-capita income advanced significantly, Wall Street Journal reports.

In an article by Arthur Herman in the leading American magazine, the author described President Musharraf as "good for Pakistan" in response to Benazir Bhutto's commentary 'Democracy for Pakistan' recently published in the same paper.

Herman, who is completing a full-length study on Gandhi and Churchill termed the record of Musharraf government as "impressive" especially in fostering a safe and relatively open Pakistan.

"At considerable risk to himself, General Musharraf has tried to rein in the forces of jihadism and end foreign support for fundamentalist madrassahs," the author opined.

Herman said Ms Bhutto's column was not only an exercise in hypocrisy, but a display of short-sightedness "on a massive and tragic scale."

He stated; Ms. Bhutto as prime minister of Pakistan proved to be one of the most incompetent leaders in the history of South Asia and was dismissed in November 1996 by Pakistan's president for what he called her regime's "nepotism, corruption" and "mismanagement".

And not a mention of his attacks on Geo TV. At least we know what the establishment really thinks of President Musharraf, a dictator in all but name.

White House - 'Musharraf's Uniform Is So Last Season'

Nice to see the American government once again getting to the heart of the matter in Pakistan. Some people might see the repeated intrusion of the media (particularly Geo TV) by the government as cause for concern, not so the White House. Apparently of greater concern to the free world is Musharraf's dress sense:

WASHINGTON: The US State Department says General Pervez Musharraf has pledged to take off his uniform if he is to continue in political life and the US takes him at his word.

Answering a question on Monday, spokesman Sean McCormack said, “You’ve mentioned the uniform issue. I know that he has pledged to make that choice and to – if he continues in political life, to put aside the uniform. And we take him at his word at that and we would expect him to follow through on his commitments.”

Yeah, because a military uniform makes American intentions in the region just a little too obvious. It's just not the kind of uniform one expects in a franchise state, is it?

Musharraf Clamps Down on Media - And The Establishment Goes Quiet

Remember the furore over the refusal to renew RCTV's broadcasting licence? Even the BBC joined in the chorus of disapproving voices, even going so far as to claim that Venezuela was under 'militant rule' (before a cunning piece of stealth editing). Well, something similar has happened again, only this time it is by one of 'our' allies. Interestingly, there has not been a word of comment by many of those keen to jump on the Chavez as totalitarian rhetoric so beloved of Bush.

Over the week-end, President Musharraf gave us a glimpse of his totalitarian tendencies. As a result of the growing political storm in Pakistan, with calls for a return to democracy growing ever louder, Musharraf gave the order to take Geo TV off the air for promoting an "anti-state attitude" and casting "aspersions against the judiciary and the integrity of the armed forces". Geo TV was taken off the air shortly after an interview with Imran Khan on its flagship news programme, watched by around 30 million people. According to the president of the station:

"We had an interview with Imran Khan followed by a discussion about the military in politics. Suddenly it all went blank."

As well as the suspension, legislation has been introduced that provides for fines of up to £85,000 and the suspension of a station's licence.

This is not the first time that Geo TV has been attacked by the government. Back in March, Musharraf banned "The Kamran Kahn Show" due to its coverage of the dispute with a suspended Supreme Court judge. The station's offices were also raided by the police after broadcasting footage of them firing rubber bullets into a crowd of protesters. The bureau chief at the time is reported as stating that:

"Police have attacked our office, they are breaking windows. They are beating our staff. They have used tear gas shells. Even our female staff have been hurt. They are damaging our building."

And yet, silence from the very people who claim to stand for freedom of speech. Not even the BBC, so quick to criticise Chavez, have made any comment on this attack on the free press. Bush, unsurprisingly, failed to take the opportunity to remind Pakistan of its democratic responsibilities. According to the BBC:

Mr Bush also called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of dissidents in such nations as Belarus, Burma and Cuba.

He listed these nations, along with North Korea, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Iran and Syria as the "worst dictatorships" and criticised Venezuela, Uzbekistan and Vietnam for rolling back earlier "freedom".

Venezuela, but not Pakistan. Chavez refused to renew a license due to the failure to observe basic broadcasting laws. Musharraf has sent the police in to raid a TV station and has repeatedly taken it off the air. RCTV backed a coup in Venezuela. Geo TV is calling for a return to democracy. The differences are obvious and stark. And yet, nothing. Still, I guess that should be no surprise when the mainstream media describes an ideological opponent of Bush 'militant', whilst they gloss over the totalitarian tendencies of a close friend and ally. Once again, the establishment clubs together to protect one of their own.

Further info: Opinion piece by Geo TV's Group Executive Director

* In other Pakistan related news, via the BBC:

A woman and three men were shot dead in a public execution in a Pakistani village after tribal elders found them guilty of adultery, officials said.

Reports said the executions were watched by some 600 people.

Looks like Pakistan has long way to go before it is truly a democratic state worthy of friendship.