By Yasser Latif Hamdani
As I write these lines, Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is about to attempt another return to Pakistan in about half an hour. He comes with a new set of hair and a more cosmopolitan modern businessman like attitude, in contrast to his conservative, though very businessman nonetheless, style in the 1990s when he was elected twice as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is seen as a force of democracy coming for the supremacy of constitution and law.
Imagine if Pompey had survived the war with Caesar and returned to Rome? For Pakistan, General Musharraf’s tragedy is even greater than any other dictator’s when one considers the many achievements that the country made under the first half of his rule. When he rode into power in 1999, he had dismantled the democratically elected government of Mr. Nawaz Sharif, which had, through very democratic means, promised to turn Pakistan into a theocracy. It remains debatable as to whether those who voted Mr. Sharif into power in 1997 had actually wanted Pakistan to be a theocracy, but it goes without saying that Musharraf’s rise at the time was celebrated by many people, especially those who wanted to see their country as a modern Muslim state as opposed to an Islamic theocracy. And for a time it seemed like Musharraf was set to deliver.
For three years at least Musharraf and his technocrat cabinet set about fixing things with reformist zeal. The regime restored to Non-muslim minorities and women in Pakistan their constitutional status as equal citizens of Pakistan. This status had taken a hit in the 1980s and the 1990s where populist regimes like that of Mr. Nawaz Sharif had pandered to middle class’ religious conservatism and moved Pakistan towards a more theocratic state structure. Musharraf set about introducing special affirmative action for depressed groups and tried to bring into mainstream all groups that had been marginalized. He introduced the women’s seats in the parliament, restored the joint electorate for all Pakistanis as envisaged by the constitution and put into place a grass roots democratic system of devolution. Women minorities, and citizens from smaller provinces were encouraged to join all services, especially the armed forces. Consequently Pakistan became only the second Muslim nation to have women as fighter pilots in its Air Force.
By far the greatest achievement of Musharraf’s regime at this time was the effective management of economy and business. Pakistan saw the rise of telecom, information and media sectors. Today Pakistan stands as the fastest growing telecom market in the world with one mobile phone subscriber to every two Pakistanis. In a country that has a large illiteracy rate, every second Pakistani owning a Mobile phone means that the definition of literacy needs to revamped. Would you consider a person who can use a cell phone effectively as a daily tool of information illiterate? As Pakistan goes towards WiMax and other technology integrated future, one can safely say that mass illiteracy is a thing of the past in this country. Pakistan’s Economic growth rate stood consistently between 4-8% over the last half a decade. This has created a new process of enrichment. A new globally aware class has come into its own, aware, thanks to General Musharraf, of the unconstitutional nature of General Musharraf’s rule and the resources to do something about it. Add to this the media revolution. Musharraf, to his credit, encouraged free media in Pakistan. More than 50 private channels had come up at the last count before some of them were arbitrarily taken off by the regime recently.
You may ask justifiably if I intend to bury Caesar or praise him. I am just awestruck by how someone with a golden opportunity of becoming another Ataturk in the Muslim world, managed to bring things to such an impasse that even his finest achievements pale in the shadow of his grave mistakes. It was almost as if God had given Musharraf an opportunity to lead not just Pakistan but the rest of the Muslim world into a modern, democratic 21st century and he blew it.
Consider the vista that would have opened up had Musharraf chosen to obey an unfavorable verdict by the Supreme Court and exited with dignity and honor. Not only would his legacy been intact but he most certainly would have given the enlightened moderates of Pakistan the boost they need for credibility. It isn’t too much to imagine that Musharraf might have been elected later as a civilian and would have become a true force in Pakistani politics. Instead he jumped the gun and chose to become a tinpot dictator, and a rather undignified one at that. In doing so he pushed back Pakistan back two decades not one. Once again Pakistan stands on the brink and once again there are many saviors trying to save it. All the good work that Musharraf had done earlier is now reduced to rubble and this time the device was detonated from within.
For Pakistanis – especially those who are reform minded- this is a poignant lesson. Reform in a constitutional democratic process is slow but permanent. Reform under a dictator maybe quick but is always superficial.
