Funeral Pervaiz Musharraf

Could it be the reason, because Musharraf damaged the Indian psyche, made Shashi Tharoor meet Musharraf every year when he was at the United Nations.

Though the guns that gave the salute to Musharraf were placed in un-armed position, the country is at war with her army with an adopted face of DictaKracy (Dictator’s oppressive rule in a kleptocratic cult made up of criminals.) A new term is necessary for explaining Pakistan because there are benevolent dictatorships.

Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf was put to rest today in a military funeral. Gun salute and trumpet ringed the air. A casket draped in the national flag was folded. Comrades put a solder to rest.

Musharraf’s family to have refused the Pakistan State to give Musharraf a State funeral would have been becoming of his wishes. Musharraf in his message to Imran Khan from his hospital’s bed made amply clear that he did not approve the army regime change actions that now enjoy the support of the Joint Criminal Enterprise. The family in a gesture of Jehad would require this criminal enterprise not morally fit to attend a respected funeral.

Let’s understand what I have just said. The Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE), and not the “enterprise” I have called out in a link to my article above, is a legal doctrine used during war crimes. Crimes individually committed by each member of an organized group are judged by the international tribunal in the prosecution of the members of the group.  

The proud mother of Arshad Sharif, holding wisdom, and no hate, had denied access to the alleged murderers of her son to receive of her son’s dead body. The elderly mother committed an act of honor, pride and foresight into the betterment of country by not wishing the criminal enterprise to pay respects to her fallen son during his funeral. For Arshad Sharif is not about a son of a mother, it is about the murder of Pakistan.

Certain things done and are not allowed for a reason. As in the case of the United States, the U.S. flag covers the casket. ‘The union blue field of the flag is placed at the head and over the left shoulder. It is not placed in the grave and is not allowed to touch the ground.’

A man who preached enlightened moderation, did not impact his country in moderation. Musharraf’s total sum of actions impacted the country with the highest severity. From his military acumen to his management of country was disastrous.

I have yet to meet a soldier wearing G6 ranks who has militarily praised Musharraf. My father never spoke ill of him, but was disappointed in his Kargil venture that suggested Court Martial. Another three star mentioned to me that “not even a captain will own up to his performance in Kargil.” The unsung heroes to date are buried in snow struck mountains.

When Kargil conflict ended badly, I jokingly said to my father, about 30-years senior to Musharraf, “I believe you are at fault by not teaching them better.” My father smiled and replied, “I have taught them well, but if they don’t do what I have taught them, what can I do.”

Musharraf’s management of country had far fetching implications. I was in Pakistan Embassy where I was informed that Musharraf accepted all the eleven demands of Bush administration’s War on Terror. Musharraf received those on Sunday and agreed to them on Monday.

Ambassador Shamshad mentioned to me that Musharraf had no choice, but to accept the American dictates. Musharraf’s colleague informed me that he should have intellectually vetted and agreed to as much strategically possible. His colleague was never consulted.

In spite of Musharraf buckling, which some say was necessary, eases him into the comfort of many that found Musharraf as a bold leader and a patriot.

Musharraf’s kinship and his son living in the United States at the time of 9/11 is a constraint in his decision of devouring all the American dictates of the 9/11 era.

I have found no magnificence in Musharraf in managing the affairs of the country. Musharraf was a total disaster—the cost to his country was immense. Let’s name a few. Unleashing the media on Pakistan in the absence of working institutions, NRO and botching up a true and tested tribal system by removing the Maliks. Gun slingers in Musharraf’s democracy rose to the top. Enlightened moderation has culturally impacted Pakistan with irreparable harm.

Any economy would do better, which benefits from the U.S. influx of aid. Gen. Zia benefited from the aid provided by Americans during the Soviet invasion. Musharraf benefited once again after 9/11.

As a person, Pakistanis find Musharraf as a good man. Musharraf could have kept his goodness in him if he had benefited from each of the letters in “scholastics.” Musharraf brought impact to his goodness from not benefiting from his colleagues, except from his inner circle. Only his few inner circle generals knew about Kargil and perhaps the same influenced his decision of the U.S. demands after 9/11.

Musharraf’s  rise to power was from Nawaz Sharif’s miscalculation. Nawaz Sharif would have been better off promoting Lt. Gen. Ali Kulli Khan to COAS. Later on, Nawaz Sharif authorized Musharraf to wear dual hats. Musharraf was now the COAS and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The reason was, it is said that Nawaz would have later replaced Musharraf as the COAS with Lt. Gen. Butt.

During this time, per Musharraf’s colleagues, he had turned ambitious. Musharraf had instructed his generals to take over if Nawaz Sharif would sack him while he was in flight back to Pakistan. The emboldened Sharif from his previous sacking of Gen. Jehangir Karamat, made a blunder. Sharif ended up in jail and then in exile.

For I judge a soldier with the strictest definition of a soldier. Regardless of my views that finds little to no goodness in the late Gen. Musharraf, I wanted to end my article with words from those who knew him well or by those when providence aligned the stars between two individuals and they met. I reached out to his fellow soldiers to capture any memories of his goodness. In reply,

Musharraf, “Dealt India boldly and faced hostile press with confidence.”

Another gave us a sense of Musharraf’s scholatic achievements, and left us with a soldier’s humor.

Musharraf, finished third at PMA. In the spirits of army pun intended, since Musharraf was not from infantry, some of his colleagues called those, and here, Musharraf, “the GT Road Warrior.” Meaning, as an artillery officer, he was at the rear; even at the Khem Karan battlefront, as was Musharraf!

Musharraf, may not have been from the pearl of the army—the Infantry. His men found him brave. One day a pilot invited Musharraf to his cockpit and offered him the flight engineer’s seat. In his words,

“I showed him the Red Flag waving on the helipad which meant that enemy fire, on and around the helipad was in progress, and that the GHQ instructions in such cases were to abort landing and return to home-base.

His remarks were very interesting. He said, ‘The GHQ is setting next to you and I authorise you to land.’

Very witty of him.

And he said, “The bullet that has to hit us will hit us on the day and place already written. And if that bullet hasn’t yet been manufactured, then they can’t hit us.”

Moreover, I saw him dance with troops, at camp fires, hours before launching them for a particular assault. Never saw any other Chief’s personal involvement to this extent.”

There is commonality between the British and Musharraf in that both have damaged the Hindu psyche. The British encouraged the elite Hindus to get educated in England. Upon their return from Oxford and Cambridge, just like the British rule, they ruled Hindus with the British yardstick damaging the Hindu psyche from a jolt to Hinduism. When Musharraf returned from Kargil, 11KMs deep into Indian occupied territory, it was a jolt to Hinduism. Musharraf has since damaged the Hindu psyche. Pakistan’s salient gain from Musharraf in my view.

A soldier ultimately may not belong to us. “It is He who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers, to add faith to their faith, for to Allah belong the troops of the heavens and the earth,…” Al-Fath 48:4

Mian Hameed is an author of MIANIPULATION OF THE MIND: Our Children and Our Policy at Peril. He writes on South Asia and U.S. policy.