World

Former Pakistan army dictator fancies a comeback

by Ahmar Mustikhan | March 11, 2009 at 02:30 am

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Unlike arch-rival India which has become the world's largest democracy and an economic giant, the British-conceived state of Pakistan is nearing failure.

The country is today led by a man widely hated for corruption and called Mr. Ten Percent, President Asif Ali Zardari.

But the most corrupt organization in Pakistan is the military which has directly presided over the fate of the world's leading Muslim nation for more than half of its independent existence since the British left India divided in August 1947.

Now a former coup leader-turned-president, who is also son of a Lucknow dancer and has no public or political standing in Pakistan, neither born in that country Gen. (retd) Pervez Musharraf is eyeing a political comeback -- he was not even born in Pakistan.

Musharraf duped the US of billions of dollars into believing Pakistan was an ally in the war on terror, while the ISI continued to shelter Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants in Pakistan.

Some US think-tanks have boosted Musharraf's rankings: one of them the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan invited him to speak at an expensive event early this year, while the Middle East Institute led by former US ambassador to Pakistan, Wendy Chamberlin, offered him a job.

Asked if he would reclaim the presidency if it was offered to him, Musharraf did not hesitate to say yes. "If someone makes an offer, then I will see if I can play a role," he said. "Obviously, I'll take the offer — if I can play a role... I wouldn't like to be a useless president, who can't contribute anything."

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