The administration of the United States has a long history of betrayaing their friends. They always abandoned their allies after completion of the job, as they see it. Now the same is the case with President Pervez Musharraf, who accepted all the orders from the United States, but now the administration has given indication of abandoning him. This will be big mistake of the US administration to abandon President Musharraf as now he has assumed the status of symbol against terrorism.
The US administration instead of blaming Musharraf for all the ills must accept its failure on various fronts. Musharraf did what was ordered by Washington. Musharraf can still become the hero of millions of poor people if he succeeds in controlling terrorism. Terrorism is an issue of Pakistan, which can only be controlled through administrative measures. Only the military action is not the solution to the problem.
Newspaper report said that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has underlined the Bush administration’s dilemma in dealing with President Pervez Musharraf: continue to support him as a key ally now in trouble or abandon him as someone who cannot be rescued.
In a lengthy interview to CNN, Ms Rice indicated that President Musharraf quit the army on Washington’s advice but stops short of admitting that in doing so he clipped his own wings.
Instead, Ms Rice blamed Mr Musharraf for the troubles he faces now, telling the interviewer that she told the former general “he made a number of mistakes,” which led him to where he finds himself now.
Aware that both Mr Musharraf’s friends and allies may interpret her statement as indicating that Washington is distancing itself from the besieged president, Ms Rice also said: “President Musharraf has been a good ally. He did a lot for Pakistan in bringing it into civilian rule. And he’s somebody that we will continue to treat with respect.”
Mr Musharraf’s future came up for discussion when the interviewer — Farid Zakaria of Newsweek — said that the United States has studiously avoided calling for the restoration of deposed judges in Pakistan.
Ms Rice repeated the US stance on this issue: “It’s best that (the judicial dispute) be worked out between Pakistanis.”
Reminded that the US silence on this issue is seen in Pakistan as supporting Mr Musharraf because if the judiciary is restored it may nullify the extra-constitutional measures he took on Nov. 3.
“Well, I don’t know how this would turn out if the judiciary were to come back into being, because one doesn’t know under what circumstances or how they would do it,” said Ms Rice.
“We have worked with President Musharraf. President Musharraf did a great thing for his country, he took off the uniform, and he brought them back to civilian rule. He really did set them on a course that was not an extremist course.”
But he put the chief justice under house arrest and he suspended half the judiciary, the interviewer reminded her.
“I have said — and I said to him that he made a number of mistakes. And I thought that the state of emergency was a mistake,” said Ms Rice.
Do you think he should resign now and give Pakistan a new start, she was asked.
“This is clearly a Pakistani matter. He’s the President of Pakistan and we’ll treat him as the President of Pakistan,” Ms Rice said.
But she quickly balanced her stance, indicating that Washington would accept any change brought about by the political forces in Pakistan. “Pakistan is in a period now of bringing its new democratic institutions into being. They will work through these matters,” she said.
Muhammad Khurshid, a resident of Bajaur Agency, tribal areas situated on Pak-Afghan border is journalist by profession. He contributes articles and news stories to various online and print newspapers. His subject matter is terrorism. He is also heading Voice For Peace working against terrorism in tribal areas. The aim of the Voice For Peace is restoration of peace in Bajaur Agency, tribal areas and whole world.
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