An Open Letter to President Musharraf- Pakistan or Musharraf First?

http://www.otherpakistan.org/today2.html

This is an open letter to the beleaguered President of Pakistan and is not addressed to the chief of the great Pakistan army. In making this deliberate distinction I hope to remind myself and the President I hope of his dual role and in particular his superior role in representing the federation of Pakistan as our revered President. This role that you hold Mr. President is unique for it should be one that brings all of Pakistan together not one that should divide it. As such this letter seeks to address the esteemed office of the President.

Mr. President I was once an ardent supporter of the great and valiant General Musharraf. I have no shame or sadness in admitting to this fact however unpopular this truth may be today. My support for you was as a result of your actions in fighting corruption, reviving the economy and above all in your stellar leadership of Pakistan after 9/11. I supported the Pervez Musharraf who said ‘I will defend the honor of my nation till my last breath. Honor and dignity in principle should never be compromised – your words not mine. I supported the Pervez Musharraf who said ‘I believe power is the authority to govern or take decisions. Power needs to be used for the good of the people at all times and should never be abused because Allah watches over the management or mismanagement of power and rewards or punishes on the Day of Judgment accordingly– your words not mine’.

I supported the Pervez Musharraf who said that ‘Quaid's instructions to us were that a nation can never make progress unless it marches in one formation. I believe we need to remember these instructions at all trying times and implement them with conviction’– your words not mine. I supported the Pervez Musharraf who said ‘I agree with Iqbal when he says that history acquaints you with action and makes you a proper person for quest. We cannot undermine that the quest for making history drives us to many daring feats. What we need to control is that in the process we don't lose sight of what is right and what is wrong for Pakistan. When I think of making history I only think "Pakistan First"– your words not mine.

However actions speak louder than words Mr. President. For your supporters including me that Pervez Musharraf was an inspiration to all for he lived and died by his ideology of serving Pakistan first. You sir, the current Pervez Musharraf serve as a poor double and have sold out to an ideology of ‘Musharraf First’ in your naked lust for power. The fact that you are now adamant on getting re-elected from a dying parliament signifies your desperation in clinging to power. Is it right that for the sake of your glory alone Pakistan should elect a zombie president from a zombie parliament, is this not a one-way ticket to hell on earth in Pakistan and what kind of precedent does it set? When will you wake up from this deep sleep and smell the coffee namely that a president re-elected from a dying parliament can and will only produce a dead man walking of a president and a zombie of the ugliest kind. Such a blatant disregard for integrity and fair play from the office of the president is unbefitting of its stature and thus Mr. President you must reconsider and reconsider now by putting Pakistan first once again.

At a personal level I do not recognise the current Pervez Musharraf as the real deal. This poor double is not the same Pervez Musharraf who is decorated as a famed soldier and the recipient of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz amongst other awards. What would your slain friend Bilal whose sacrifice led to you bestowing his name on your beloved son say of this Pervez Musharraf and his lust for renewed power? Has that Pervez Musharraf died or does he still reside in that man albeit in small doses and if so how can you square your friend Bilal’s sacrifice to the nation with your actions in sacrificing the nation for your own personal gain.

Mr President I took the trouble to read you now infamous ‘In the Line of Fire’ not once but twice. I found the book to be an insight into your glorious military career, indeed your courage and dedication to serve Pakistan above all else came across in every page. No-one even your worst critic can doubt that as a solder you have served this land of the pure with distinction and valour. Yet that Pervez Musharraf is missing feared disappeared, he is another missing person perhaps the ISI picked him up too or maybe the extremists have got him to quote your own words! Maybe your old friend the Chief Justice should take suo moto notice of this crime so that we can get the real Pervez Musharraf back.

Concluding I agree with you that Pakistan faces numerous challenges, for which we require of our President only those actions that repair our broken and divided society, for above all the Presidency must be the source of reconciliation and national unity and not the instigator of further chaos and destruction. So I hope against hope that you will pull back and realise that you have long abandoned your ‘Pakistan First’ ideology and replaced it with a ‘Musharraf first’ ideology. So I make this heartfelt plea to you, please realise that a zombie president from a parliament of zombies will do nothing for Pakistan, forget re-election and retire from public office with grace by taking the army back to the barracks with its head held high. If you do so then you legacy will be written in golden stars and all of Pakistan will sing in your praise so please for the sake of Pakistan President Musharrraf saab please announce you retirement from public office today and let Pakistan be.

This open letter has been sent directly to the President of Pakistan website and will be posted on other forums including my own website at www.otherpakistan.org. I expect no good to come from it, however I must have hope that the President will consider its contents and subsequently reconsider his future actions and should he do so he will have put Pakistan first and not Musharraf first, if he does he will have saved Pakistan from unnecessary turmoil and impending doom.

Wasim Arif - 22nd September 2007, 00.37 PK Time