COMMENTARY
Musharraf makes Pakistan a better country

By Saleem Ahmed

On April 8, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf and his wife Sehba visited my sister's house in Rawalpindi (Islamabad's twin city) to offer condolences for my 70-year-old brother-in-law's passing away (cardiac arrest), I could not help but feel happy that this amiable man, with whom my brother Akbar and I played cricket and volleyball in Karachi in the early 1960s, is now Pakistan's president. And that he is doing a good, honest job.

Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has faced down fundamentalists, taken steps to alleviate poverty and fostered democracy at the local level. In the process he has won broad-based public support. Associated Press

The three Musharraf boys — Javed, Pervez, and Naved — and Akbar and I were in various colleges and schools in Pakistan. My mother and Zareen apa were first cousins.

Undoubtedly it was music which bonded us all. Zareen apa and Musharraf bhai sang, with she playing the harmonium and he, the tabla. Akbar played on the harmonica and flute, while I kept beat using two teaspoons in maracas-type fashion. Javed, Pervez and Naved would join our group singing (often loudly). Joining the army, Pervez Musharraf rose speedily and became the army's commander-in-chief. And while it could have ended that way, it was an electrifying Alfred Hitchcock-style — and unplanned — drama that led to his becoming Pakistan's president: Because he and Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef disagreed on some important issues, Shareef tried to replace him as the commander-in-chief with a relatively junior army general while Musharraf was in Sri Lanka leading a goodwill mission.

Refusing to accept Shareef's nominee as commander-in-chief, the army's other top brass informed Musharraf, who took the next flight back to Karachi. The panicked Nawaz Shareef ordered that the plane be prevented from landing at Karachi. The plane circled overhead for close to an hour. Finally, loyal army units cleared the runway of obstacles and, with only five minutes' flying time worth of fuel left, the plane landed safely.

Shareef was arrested, tried for treason and attempted murder, and sentenced to death. His life was spared when the Saudi monarch requested Shareef be exiled to Saudi Arabia as the king's "guest." Assuming power, Musharraf promised elections in two years. That period now ends.

But Musharraf feels he needs more time to draw the country out of its never-ending cycle of corrupt politicians, pampered and loud-mouthed fundamentalists, and sectarian killers. Thus, in this past week's referendum Pakistanis agreed to give him five additional years as president.

Many agree that Pakistan is better off today than previously: foreign exchange reserves have grown; large amounts of money have been recovered from corrupt officials; and the country's stature enhanced as Musharraf effectively countered virulent and violent pro-Osama bin Laden fundamentalists and supported President Bush' "war against terrorism."

Dressed informally in white cotton shalwar-kameez (baggy pants and loose shirt) during his visit to my sister's house, Musharraf acknowledged that Pakistan's economic recovery has been buoyed by international aid received as "reward" for supporting the war against terrorism.

However, he added between sips of tea, instead of being siphoned off by corrupt officials, the money is being used in long-term development projects. For example, the sleepy fishing village of Gwador is being transformed into a modern seaport capable of handling large oil tankers. Strategically located in the Arabian Sea, Gwador cannot be blockaded easily — unlike terminals within the Persian Gulf.

Musharraf visualizes oil from the Central Asian Republics being piped across 1,500 miles to this port — in bittersweet fulfillment of the former Soviet Union's unrealized dream of having access to warm waters. Musharraf also envisages a modern highway running parallel to the pipeline, thereby opening up access to Central Asia and reducing Pakistan's dependence on the Indus Highway as the only artery linking Pakistan's major cities.

Musharraf also cited his poverty alleviation project, which provides small business loans of up to $1,000 to poor villagers having no collateral. Introduced last year, loan repayment so far has been near 100 percent. And the National Accountability Bureau, he proudly added, is continuing to clean up the system.

Musharraf also clarified that the process of democratization has actually been accelerated by his government: for example, peaceful elections of nazims (mayors) have already been held; and elections to the National Parliament are scheduled for October. Musharraf envisages his future role as a "watchdog" to ensure that economic development is not bogged down by fundamentalism, sectarian violence and petty provincial rivalries.

The national sentiment toward Musharraf, I feel, was eloquently expressed by an old fruit vendor in Rawalpindi: "I don't care whether it's democracy or dictatorship. I only want decent living. Musharraf is honest and sincere. Once I was greatly drawn by Osama bin Laden's call for Muslim unity to 'fight infidels.' By the murders they committed in America (on 9/11) and Afghanistan, I realized it is actually these fundamentalists who are infidels. I admire Musharraf for having guts to counter their sway over the illiterate masses. He has my vote."

As Musharraf and Sehba left our house without any fanfare and with only one other car with security personnel following them, I couldn't help but get goose bumps recalling the boisterous teenager with whom I played cricket and volleyball in Karachi four decades ago.

A former East-West Center researcher and currently financial consultant, Saleem Ahmed teaches courses on Islam and Financial Planning under the University of Hawai'i's Outreach College. His forthcoming book, "Beyond Veil and Holy War: Islamic Teachings and Muslim Practices with Biblical Comparisons," is scheduled for release in late June.