The Hindu : Bouquets abroad, brickbats at home

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 26, 2003

International

International

Bouquets abroad, brickbats at home

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD June 25 . While it is all bouquets for the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, on his current `historic' foreign tour (with the first-ever invitation to any Asian leader to Camp David), the story back home is quiet different. It is brickbats all the way from the Opposition and a sense of despondency and resignation prevails in the ruling combine.

Hours after the United States President, George W. Bush, showered praise on Gen. Musharraf as a "courageous leader and visionary", the Opposition unleashed a diatribe against him for "usurping" the powers of a democratically-elected Government and touring the world capitals consolidating his power grip.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam), the party which heads the ruling combine at the centre, was perhaps too busy even to take note of the developments at Camp David. Its leaders are busy mobilising numbers for the extraordinary session of the National Assembly scheduled on June 28 to vote on the no-trust motion against the Speaker.

The Opposition's criticism of Gen. Musharraf centred round his "lack of authority" and his alleged "inability" to get enough doles from the Americans for the help rendered by Pakistan in the so-called war against terror.

Asif Zardari, husband of Benazir Bhutto, who is behind bars for seven years pending trail in several cases, utilised the opportunity after appearing in a court in connection with a case to make some grim predictions. What he told reporters is certainly not good news for the Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Mr. Zardari asserted that the "gulf" between the Government and Gen. Musharraf was widening and had changed the whole political scenario.

"What can be more disgraceful for the Government that even the Foreign Minister was not thought appropriate to be included in the President's delegation to the United States and Europe," he said.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif) maintained that Gen. Musharraf had no legal or constitutional right to represent Pakistan and take important decisions during his ongoing visit to the U.S.

After a meeting of the party, the acting chief of PML (N), Javed Hashmi, said any agreement or commitment made by Gen. Musharraf at Camp David would have no legal or constitutional value. "Gen. Musharraf's widely reported hints about recognition of Israel and an unjust solution of Kashmir issue have given rise to suspicions about his intentions. These suspicions are strengthened by his track record of taking unilateral decisions while keeping the nation in the dark."

The meeting warned the "foreign hosts of Gen. Musharraf" that his repeated references to "dangers of fundamentalism" in Pakistan were only to seek the support of the world community for his "unconstitutional and dictatorial rule."

He said, "Pakistan is, and has always been, a moderate Muslim country as is evident from the fact that moderate political parties, including the PML (N), enjoy the support of an overwhelming majority of voters in the country. It is, therefore, a flagrant lie that Pakistan is in danger of being ruled by extremists." Mr. Hashmi said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal was an alliance of moderate parties.

The meeting, through a resolution, "condemned Gen. Musharraf's continuing rule", which it said he had tried to strengthen with a "fake referendum, engineered elections and by establishing a puppet Government."

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) dismissed as disappointing the $3 billion U.S. aid package announced during Gen. Musharraf's visit. "The economic package announced during General Musharraf's visit to the United States is dismal and disappointing. It is far too short of what could have been achieved given the losses incurred in economic, political and social sectors by Pakistan because of its support to the international community in the fight against terrorism."

"The $3 billion package is peanuts. The US CENTCOM itself admitted on its official website recently that Pakistan suffered a minimum of $10 billion loss as a result of its offering its land and air facilities and other logistic support in fight against terrorism", it said.

The PPP claimed that another dictator General Zia got $4.2 billion of aid and 40 F-16s from the U.S. in return for offering the country as a frontline State and to fight the proxy war in Afghanistan in the Eighties. "General Musharraf and his cronies may crow over the $3 billion package, but the fact remains that it is far too short of even what General Zia had got from the U.S.," it said

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International