The Political Ambitions
of Bilal Musharraf!
K.
Hasan
WASHINGTON:
When General Pervez Musharraf’s son, Bilal wrote an article
for a popular web site Chowk.com on July 28, 1999, just 10 weeks
before his father took over power in Pakistan in a coup d’etat,
he was introduced on Chowk.com as: “The author works as an
Actuarial Analyst, quantifying financial contingency. An avid follower
of South Asia’s socio-economic and geo-political reality.”
“The
overwhelming majority of people feel powerless in the scheme of
things in Pakistan and in their desperation are blinded to reasoning
and rationale and continue to project their ambitions on to individuals
that have little to show from their past and fall short of such
a responsibility,” this soon-to-be-First son wrote knowing
fully well that his words were coming from the heir apparent of
Pakistan’s most powerful man, the Chief of the Army Staff,
who could topple the government any time and who did not feel as
“powerless” as he was not a part of that “overwhelming
majority” he was pleading for. Click
Here for Bilal’s Article Dated July 28, 1999
Bilal’s
article was clearly a declaration of his family’s political
ambitions and the obvious intentions of his father, a clear inside
view of what the family of Pakistan’s strongest man with the
gun was thinking. It also reflected a deep seated hatred against
the “individuals who have little to show from their past and
fall short of such a responsibility.” These individuals were
clearly the politicians his father was soon to act against.
Bilal
and his father hated Nawaz Sharif and this was evident from Bilal’s
article written in July, 99. Instead of directly attacking the then
Prime Minister, Bilal cleverly quoted a paragraph from well known
columnist of ‘Dawn’ Ayaz Amir. The selection of Ayaz
Amir’s quotes was meaningful to the last word: He selected
this para for his article:
"The
tragedy is not Nawaz Sharif's who has already known more than his
share of glory. The tragedy is that of the Pakistani people who
while yearning and indeed waiting for heroes have always had to
settle for less than heroic figures. In the present case the tragedy
is two-fold because the people of Pakistan have deluded themselves.
Far from anyone else betraying them, they have been betrayed by
their own expectations. Nawaz Sharif was no stranger to them. They
knew his strengths and weaknesses as also the history of his rise
to political greatness. But driven by their own desires they saw
things in him that were not there. Who is then to be blamed: Nawaz
Sharif for being true to form and character or the people of Pakistan
for living out another chapter of their unchanging tragedy?"
Then Bilal asked: “Who are the people at the two ends of the
bell-shaped empowerment curve for Pakistan? At one end is a minority
of individuals who possess the political/professional/ financial
clout to influence progressive change, and at the other is a self-centered
wealthy ruling elite, that resists change and thrives on status
quo.”
And
calling for a change, Musharraf’s son wrote: “…The
nation is increasingly left with a ruling class that is indifferent
to the priority in which the fundamental needs of Pakistan need
to be addressed. In the presence of a rarer medium, a liquid will
eventually dry up…The working class of Pakistanis, inside
and abroad... need to WAKE UP and influence change.”
These
words were just 10 weeks before the October coup. They betrayed
the deeply embedded ambitions of the Musharraf family to take control,
bring about a change, or what Bilal called "a wake up"
call given, in Capital Letters.
Then
the moment of glory came and on October 12, 1999 Bilal’s father
took over power. The son immediately jumped to his rescue as so
quickly he and his father had not learnt to play the power game
as it is normally played. Two days after the coup, Bilal again wrote
an article on Chowk.com, entitled “He had no Choice”
and defended the take over in these words: “My father is a
self-made man and I wish to state this up front that he has made
a conscious effort to never abuse his influence for personal gain."
Click Here for Bilal’s
Article of October 14, 1999
He then asked some pertinent questions: How could we continue a
state of misgovernance for FIFTY-TWO years? Why hasn't there been
a single person who has been able to introduce fundamental reforms?
How long can the teeming majority of unemployed and impoverished
be ignored? How can we even begin talking about the 'quality' of
life, when we fail to address the fundamental 'sanctity' of life….
He
continued justifying the coup d’etat: “This day was
not envisioned. I never thought there would be such unanimous consensus
within the military, amongst the people of Pakistan, and amongst
the Pakistanis abroad, behind one cause. The cause being pure and
unadulterated REFORMS! I honestly feel that what we are witnessing
is the culmination of a collective yearning of the overwhelming
majority of a hundred and fifty million people. Democracy is an
essential ideal, but let's look into our souls and understand why
it has not taken root. The time has come for introspection for a
fundamental change in state and society so democracy can actually
blossom.
”What
are the options? Back to a façade of democracy in the existing
political structure? Satisfying the immediate expectation of announcing
a hand picked portfolio of technocrats that would form an interim
reform government? Devoting all attention to an across the board
accountability?” he wrote.
The
second article drew a huge readership on the web site. Although
it was given 1.5 stars out of 5, it had attracted over 40,800 readers
with over 1100 readers posting their views in response to his thoughts.
By and large the sentiment was in favour of the Musharraf coup in
the beginning and there were some negative remarks. Bilal was quick
to respond, like a deft politician, to the critical remarks.
One
critic (at Response #168) wrote: “Can your dad change the
attitude of the entire civil service, bureaucracy, politicians etc
in 1-2 years time.... He is neither trained nor given the mandate
to run the country. He should force his way out of this mess as
soon as he can. If he is as genuine as he is made out to be (and
he might be for all I know), he should join the politics (like other
military men - Aslam Beg, Asghar Khan etc) and run for elections.
If people want him, he will come back into power. Why put a knife
to people’s throat and ask them to agree with your decisions.
Do you really think the Pakistani public has a choice in accepting
the army coup or not? Our people are in a despair because of the
repeated failures of the politicians AND army executives. They have
no choice but to nod in approval at any change in the status-quo.
It has become a question of choosing the lesser of the evils, and
not that of choosing between right or wrong.”
Another
note (#189) written by B Ahmed, a university professor who later
died in 2002, wrote: “Can your father provide an environment
that encourages Pakistani elite to patronize (though both monetary
support and usage) Pakistani educational institutions and health
facilities? But, above all, we need to have freedom to think and
act in the interest of us (as individuals), our neighborhoods, communities,
our nation, and our world at-large. Can your father ensure these
things to every Pakistani regardless of class, gender, ethno-linguistic
background, religious preference, and other bases of individual
and collective identity. Of course, this is an extremely difficult
task. Having said this, let me say something that you may not find
palatable. Pakistan Army, despite its sacrifices and achievements,
is a major part of Pakistan`s problems. Can your father ensure a
change? I am not against the Army personnel, I am against the institution
of Army that, according to an eight-five year old wise Pakistani,
is a "bottomless pit that eats all the resources the country
should be spending on development schemes (Frontier Post, May 13,
1999). Can your father create an environment to drastically reduce
our so-called defense expenditure? Can your father ensure that our
national wealth is used for the welfare of the nation as a whole
(nor merely on the import of sophisticated and extremely expensive
military hardware: planes, submarines, tanks, etc.)? Your father
is in a lot of hot water because he has done something against the
law of the country. This is sedition. Isn`t it?
Bilal
Musharraf responded (#187) by saying: “On a personal side
note however, I have faith that my father has the will and the spirit
to see this change through. I think my father understands the importance
of what this point in time means for Pakistan and its long awaited
overhaul of a decaying colonial system. It should suffice to say
that at this point, allegiance is to the people of Pakistan and
‘the system’ is in suspension.”
Then
there was a deluge of criticism for the next two years and Bilal
was told by the Pakistani Establishment not to indulge in such a
public debate at such a forum on a web site. He stopped responding
to criticism and writing any further articles. Yet he was actively
involved with his father and during the many visits General Musharraf
made to the US, Bilal was the main contact person, inviting the
elite, arranging meetings and looking after his Dad's back.
By
his initial responses and actions Bilal Musharraf had amply demonstrated
that he had political ambitions and strong views on many subjects
and he was not shy to express them either. For example in his response
(#187) on Chowk.com he talks about negotiations with India and how
should Pakistan be handling the situation. This was just three days
after his Dad had taken over the country. Click
to View full comment
Llike
many children of famous politicians, Bilal Musharraf is proving
to be naïve and inexperienced with views formed on subjective
and emotional basis. Two days after the October 12 coup he wrote:
“My immediate family has made do with the income of a military
officer and there have been no complaints. There is only relief
that he has made it this far without compromising his ethics. Both
my sister and I are married and settled in our own lives”
What
does he say now when details of his own father in law have emerged
proving that he was drawing a 2 per cent profit from the Rawalpindi-Peshawar
Motorway firm and had been promised that profit for 25 years for
providing consultancy services. Likewise that company he worked
for bought off 12 industrial units during the Musharraf regime.
Has Bilal any comments to offer on these obviously dubious favors?
Likewise
where is the agenda for the Reforms he mentioned again in Capital
Letters in his article. His father went on from one political fraud
to another, consolidating his own grip on power instead of what
the Boston-based son had predicted. “Why hasn't there been
a single person who has been able to introduce fundamental reforms?”
he had asked in his article. Will he now answer that very question
himself? What happened to his father’s will to reform. Where
is the basic land reforms? Instead he is giving away lands not only
to army officers, now foreign companies will buy land without any
limit. Is that what he meant by basic reforms?
And
Bilal talked very animatedly about “Across the Board Accountability”
in his article. Does he call his father's track record as befitting
that description. All the big “chors” (thieves) and
choudhries who are known to be big 'chors' are in his father’s
camp today, enjoying unlimited access, political freedoms and powers.
Is this across the board accountability? What about the permissions
given to looters in uniform like Admiral Mansoor ul Haq to take
away millions by paying just a few per cent of the loot?
If
Mr Bilal Musharraf has any modicum of respect and justice, he should
now come out and write again on Chowk.com or anywhere else and explain
what he thinks about his father’s performance now. How does
he justify all that has happened and is going on in the name of
reforms and democracy.
”My
father is a self-made man and I wish to state this up front that
he has made a conscious effort to never abuse his influence for
personal gain,” was his opening line on October 14, 1999.
Can he start his new article with the same line now?
By
all counts Bilal Musharraf will not respond as he has now learnt
the tricks of how to be a power player. He seems all set to become
another Gohar Ayub Khan, Ejaz ul Haq and Humayun Akhtar Khan, with
a lot of money left by their Dads, nothing to worry about and politics
as their new profession.
