It sad indeed that one might wish to think well of Musharraf just because he did what he should have done anyway. But in the context of Pakistani politics, that is a pretty good thing
“Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug, sometimes you’re the Louisville Slugger sometimes you’re the ball.” So sings Mary Chapin Carpenter in a famous country western song. Why does this come to mind today? The ball-and-bat controversy surrounding the disqualification of arguably the best fast bowler Pakistan has ever produced.
The cascading debacles that Pakistan cricket suffered since that fateful day at Lord’s, the mysterious death of our coach after the loss to Ireland on St Paddy’s day a year ago and persistent defeats in important matches are bad enough. But the recent controversy about Shoaib Akhtar has brought the sorry state of Pakistan cricket into public awareness in a big way.
From an objective point of view, the head of Pakistan cricket is there only because he was the personal choice of the President of Pakistan. To the uninitiated that was and still is his only qualification to run Pakistan cricket. Unfortunately for him he is now confronted with a sad reality: he is no longer the windshield or the Louisville slugger. He is the bug and the ball.
Personally I think Dr Nasim Ashraf is not a bad sort, a trifle hubristic and possibly self-righteous but definitely not the sort of person who could demand from Mr Shoaib Akhtar mucho dineros at any time. And I would not even criticise him for running Pakistan cricket the way he has, for that was the way the country was being run.
What really interests me is why suddenly the entire world has descended upon him with much anger, most of it feigned. Important members of the ruling coalition, including one of the most acerbic defenders of virtue in the press, and even Altaf Bhai are taking him to task for suspending Akhtar. I must admit that destroying the career of a pretty good bowler deserves some opprobrium. But all this?
Why has he suddenly become the target? Clearly it is because of his relationship with his patron-in-chief. President Musharraf is still whether we like it or not the president of Pakistan. In time the emerging popular political forces will bring him down or at least confront him directly. Until then it is ‘his’ people that will be targeted. And Dr Ashraf happens to be one of those, someone who knows as little about cricket as the last few heads of cricket, all of them having the same unique qualification of being close to the president.
So, as we look at the present political landscape, before the president is brought down, first his friends and cronies will be brought down. The game plan is obvious, isolate the president and leave him in a position where he cannot call anybody and order him to do anything except perhaps his cook to make him the breakfast of his choice. And even there, the ministry of finance might restrict the amount of eggs he might consume in a week, for health reasons of course.
Is this what the once mighty COAS-President has come down to? As a friend pointed out to me recently, the time is coming where the president will not even be received at any provincial capital by the chief minister. Clearly President Musharraf has lost all control over the political process and the politicians that have come into power. Moreover, most of these politicians have no love lost for him and no desire to make him look good.
The question then is how much humiliation is acceptable for somebody that once ruled the roost. President Musharraf to the best of our cumulative information has no intention to leave his position any time soon. Therefore it would seem that the only way that his opponents can make him leave is by making his life as difficult as possible.
The recent elections in Zimbabwe are a case in point. Mugabe who ruled that country for almost three decades is now confronted by a similar situation. In the recent elections, he lost control of parliament as well as according to some reports the presidential election. Even though he is eighty-four years old, an age where he should be happy to retire from an active public life, he it seems is willing to go through a run off election to keep his position.
The allure of power is well known but the question that really interests me is why do those that once were powerful but have lost their grip on it wish to keep up the charade? For President Musharraf, the situation is getting rather dicey. He could persist for some time and watch as his friends and supporters, which he appointed to important positions over the last few years, are replaced. In time he will then become completely and totally ineffective.
The issue of the CJ is still hanging over his head, as is the question of how legal his own election was. Personally, I believe that President Musharraf deserves better. After all, he did allow a reasonably free and fair general election and has so far stayed away from any manipulation of the political process. It sad indeed that one might wish to think well of him just because he did what he should have done anyway. But in the context of Pakistani politics, that is a pretty good thing.
Coming back to where I started from, it is time for the president to decide about his own future while he still can. The way things are going he could be in for a prolonged process of public humiliation. The press is free, the politicians in power are against him, the army that he once commanded is no longer behind him as it once was, and most importantly his supporters outside the country seem to be having second thoughts about him.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Syed Mansoor Hussain has practised and taught medicine in the US. He can be reached at smhmbbs70@yahoo.com
Courtesy: Daily Times, 7/4/2008
Loading ...
Recent Comments