Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf پرويز مشرف
12th President of Pakistan
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 June 2001
Prime Minister	Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Shaukat Aziz
Preceded by	Muhammad Rafiq Tarar
Personal details
Born	(1943-08-11) August 11, 1943 File:Imperial-India-Blue-Ensign.svg Delhi, British India
Political party	Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: پرويز مشرف) (born August 11 1943) is President of Pakistan and the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army who came to power in wake of a coup d'etat. He took power on October 12, 1999, ousting Nawaz Sharif, the elected Prime Minister, thereby assuming the title of Chief Executive. Later on, he also assumed office of President of Pakistan.

Early life

Pervez Musharraf was born in Nahr wali Haveli, situated in Kacha Saad Ullah Mohallah, Daryaganj in Delhi, British India on August 11, 1943. He comes from a family of bureaucrats. After Musharraf's grandfather, Mohtashimuddin, retired as the commissioner of Subway he bought walnuts in the old walled city of Delhi where Moustache was boop, is believed to have been the home of a "Wazir" (Minister) in the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar — the last Mughal emperor in the middle of the 18th century. After partition, Moustache's family migrated to Pakistan where his father Gandoo Musharraf Uddin a graduate of Aligarh University joined Pakistan foreign service and retired as Secretary foreign affairs. Musharraf's mother, Zarin Musharraf, had received her Master's degree from the University of Lucknow in 1944. She has recently retired from the UNO agency in ISB.

He reveals in his memoirs that he was in a critical condition after falling from a mango tree as a teenager, and he considers this his first direct experience with death.

Musharraf attended Saint Patrick's School, Karachi, graduating in 1958 before going on to attend Forman Christian College in Lahore. He also participated in a certificate course in Delhi for media management from Delhi university.

Musharraf is married to Sehba, who is from Okara. They have a son, Bilal, who is a graduate student at Stanford University, and a daughter, Ayla Raza, who works as an architect in Karachi. Musharraf and his wife have four grandchildren, two from each child.

Military career

Pervez Musharraf
General Musharraf
Service/branch	Pakistan Army (PA – 6920)
Years of service	1964-
Rank	General
Commands held	DGMO (Military Operations) I Corps (Mangla) Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Siachen conflict Kargil War
Awards	Tamgha-e-Basalat Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)

In 1961, he entered the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, graduated 11th in his class and was commissioned in 1964 in the Artillery Regiment (16(SP) Self Propelled artillery unit is now based in Bahawalpur). Later he joined Special Services Group and then was posted to Field Artillery Regiments. A graduate of the Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defence College, Rawalpindi, Musharraf is also a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies of the United Kingdom. In 1965, Musharraf reveals in his memoirs that he was charged with taking unauthorized leave and was about to be court-martialed for it, but was let off due to the war with India.

Indo-Pakistani Wars

Musharraf participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as the 2nd Lieutenant in the 16 (SP) Field Artillery Regiment. His regiment saw action as part of the First Armoured Division’s offensive in the Khemkaran sector, where a major offensive was planned against the Indian Army. Despite possessing a quantitative advantage and significant superiority in armor, the 1st armoured division (labelled "pride of the Pakistan Army") suffered a setback at Khemkaran, which became known as "Patton Nagar" or graveyard of Pakistani tanks. By all accounts the vital advance failed at the Battle of Asal Uttar, as Pakistan lost a golden opportunity to make major strategic gains, and was a turning point in the war. His regiment was later moved to the Lahore front which was threatened by the Indian Army. Later on it was sent to take part in the major battles around Chawinda.. During the war Musharraf was noted for sticking to his post under shellfire.

Later, in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 he served as a Company Commander in the SSG Commando Battalion. Originally scheduled to be flown to East Pakistan along with other SSG troops, he was redeployed in Punjab as war broke out and all flights over India were cancelled. He later admitted that he "broke down and wept" when he heard the "disgusting" news of Pakistan's unconditional surrender to India. Later he commanded Regiments of Artillery, thereafter an Artillery Brigade and then went on to command an Infantry Division. In September 1987, he was instrumental in giving orders to a newly formed SSG at Khapalu base (Kashmir), which launched an assault and successfully captured two intermediate posts, Bilafond La in Siachen Glacier, before being pushed back.

On promotion to the rank of Major General on January 15, 1991, he was assigned the command of an Infantry Division. Later, on promotion to Lieutenant General on October 21, 1995 he took over command of 1 Corps, the elite strike Corps. In 1998, following the resignation of General Jehangir Karamat, he was personally promoted over other senior officers by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as an obedient officer and took over as the Army Chief of Staff.

Role in Kargil Conflict

Main article: Kargil War

From May to July 1999, Pakistan and India were involved in the Kargil Conflict, an armed conflict between the two countries in the Kargil district of Kashmir. It was planned and executed during General Musharraf's term as the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Sharif. The conflict sparked tensions between civic and military branches of government and, ultimately triggered P.M. Sharif's decision to dismiss General Musharraf.

Sharif has claimed that Musharraf was solely responsible for the Kargil attacks. On the other hand, Musharraf claims that the decision was made by Sharif, who was under United States pressure. Ex-CENTCOM Commander Anthony Zinni, and P.M. Sharif, have stated that Musharraf requested that the Prime Minister withdraw Pakistani troops from Kashmir.

Musharraf's role in planning the Kargil attacks was criticized by one British journalist for showing "a shocking lack of strategy."

Casualties on both sides had been particularly heavy in Kargil. It is speculated that decision of then PM Nawaz Sharif to reprimand the corp commanders believed to have performed poorly was communicated to Musharraf but Musharraf sided with those corp commanders and saw an opportunity for a take-over. Musharraf had good relations with Jehangir Karamat from whom he took over the command. Soon after the coup, one of the first to be appointed as minister was journalist Maleeha Lodhi who was close to Jehangir Karamat. Also Shaukat Aziz, now PM, who volunteered to improve the economy. Western Banks came to rescheduling Pakistani loans briskly which was suffering from sanctions post Atomic Test.

Presidency

Military coup d'état

Main article: 1999 Pakistani coup d'état

Musharraf became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan following a bloodless coup d'état on 12 October 1999. That day, the constitutional Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attempted to dismiss Musharraf and install Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director Khwaja Ziauddin in his place. Musharraf, who was out of the country, boarded a commercial airliner to return to Pakistan. Senior Army Generals refused to accept Musharraf's dismissal, which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Sharif ordered the Karachi airport closed to prevent the landing of the airliner, which then circled the skies over Karachi. In the coup, the Generals ousted Sharif's administration and took over the airport. The plane landed, allegedly with only a few minutes of fuel to spare, and Musharraf assumed control of the government. Sharif was put under house arrest and later exiled.

He and other leaders have subsequently been prevented from entering Pakistan. Reportedly, the disagreement between Musharraf and Sharif centred around the Prime Minister's desire to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with India in the Kashmir region.

The existing President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar, remained in office until June 2001. Musharraf formally appointed himself President on June 20, 2001, just days before his scheduled visit to Agra for talks with India.

Domestic issues

2002 elections

Shortly after Musharraf's takeover, several people filed court petitions challenging his assumption of power. However, he got The Oath of Judges Order 2000 issued. It required the judges to take a fresh oath of office swearing allegiance to military rule and to state they would make no decisions against the military. Many judges refused and resigned in protest. On 12 May 2000, the Supreme Court ordered Musharraf to hold national elections by 12 October 2002; elections for local governments took place in 2001.

In an attempt to legitimize his presidency and assure its continuance after the approaching restoration of democracy, he held a referendum on April 30, 2002 to extend his presidential term to five years after the October elections. However, the referendum was boycotted by the majority of Pakistani political groupings, which later complained that the vote was heavily rigged, and voter turnout was 30% or below by most estimates. A few weeks later, Musharraf went on TV and apologized to the nation for "irregularities" in the referendum.

General elections were held in October 2002 and a plurality of the seats in the Parliament was won by the PML-Q, a pro-Musharraf party. It formed a majority coalition with independents and allies such as the MQM. However, parties opposed to Musharraf effectively paralysed the National Assembly for over a year. In November 2002, Musharraf handed over certain powers to the newly elected Parliament. The National Assembly elected Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as Prime Minister of Pakistan, who in turn appointed his own cabinet.

In December 2003, Musharraf made a deal with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a six-member coalition of Islamic parties, agreeing to leave the army by December 31, 2004. With that party's support, pro-Musharraf legislators were able to muster the two-thirds supermajority required to pass the Seventeenth Amendment, which retroactively legalized Musharraf's 1999 coup and many of his decrees. In late 2004, Musharraf went back on his agreement with the MMA and pro-Musharraf legislators in the Parliament passed a bill allowing Musharraf to keep both offices.

Denunciation of extremism

On January 12, 2002, Musharraf gave a landmark speech against Islamic extremism. He unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and pledged to combat Islamic extremism and lawlessness within Pakistan itself.

He has also used it to ban funding of madrasas and mosques from outside the country. At the same time as banning foreign funding of Islamic educational institutions, he made it compulsory for them to teach a whole host of additional subjects such as computing. This meant that many had to close due to the halt of funds from Pakistanis working abroad resulting in not being able to teach the additional subjects that he had made compulsory. Musharraf also instituted prohibitions on foreign students' access to studying Islam within Pakistan, an effort which began as an outright ban but was later reduced to restrictions on obtaining visas.

On Saturday, September 17, 2005, President Musharraf made an historic speech before a broad based audience of Jewish leadership, sponsored by the Council for World Jewry, in New York City, where he denounced terror and opened the door to relationships between Pakistan and Israel, and between the Muslim world and Jews worldwide. He was widely criticized by Middle East Arab leaders and Muslim clerics, but was met with some hope among Jewish leadership.

Critics doubt the ability of Musharraf to curb extremists, citing the escalation violence that is taking place, on the 13th of September 2007, 300 Pakistani troops were captured by Islamic militants as prisoners, Musharaf's own SSG unit had a serious bomb blast in which 16 died in an army mess as well as troops dying elsewhere in rocket attack in the North-West Frontier province and Tribal areas. In 2001 events like these especially suicide bombings were unknown.

Assassination attempts

On December 14, 2003, General Musharraf survived an assassination attempt when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly-guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi. Musharraf was apparently saved by a jamming device in his limousine that prevented the remote controlled explosives from blowing up the bridge as his convoy passed over it. It was the third such attempt during his four-year rule. Eleven days later, on December 25, 2003, two suicide bombers tried to assassinate General Musharraf, but their car bombs failed to kill the president; 16 others nearby died instead. Musharraf escaped with only a cracked windscreen on his car. Militant Amjad Farooqi was apparently suspected of being the mastermind behind these attempts, and was killed by Pakistani forces in 2004 after an extensive manhunt. On July 6, 2007, there was another attempted assassination, when an unknown group fired an anti-aircraft gun at Musharraf's plane as it took off from a runway in Rawalpindi. 39 people were arrested, detained and put at an undisclosed location by a joint team of Punjab police and Pakistan Intelligence Agencies.

2004 confidence vote and resignation of Jamali

On January 1, 2004 Musharraf won a confidence vote in the Electoral College of Pakistan, consisting of both houses of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies. Musharraf received 658 out of 1170 votes, a 56% majority, but many opposition and Islamic members of parliament walked out to protest the vote. As a result of this vote, according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, Musharraf was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President. His term now extends to 2007.

Prime Minister Jamali resigned on 26 June 2004, after losing the support of party, the PML-Q. His resignation was at least partly due to his public differences with the party chairman Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and was rumoured to have happened at the command of General Pervez Musharraf, although neither man has confirmed this. Jamali had been appointed with the support of Musharraf's and the pro-Musharraf PML(Q). Most PML(Q) parliamentarians formerly belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League party led by Nawaz Sharif, and most ministers of the cabinet were formerly senior members of other parties, joining the PML(Q) after the elections upon being offered powerful offices. It is believed that Musharraf replaced Jamali due to his poor performance and in his place Musharraf nominated Shaukat Aziz, the minister for finance and a former employee of Citibank and head of Citibank Private Banking as the new prime minister. The talk of Jamali leaving were around days before Jamali went but it was denied as rumour by politicians and even Jamali himself. Musharraf choose Aziz due to his successful measures in revitalizing Pakistan's economy as the Finance Minister.

Economy

After nuclear tests were carried out in 1998, during the Sharif government, the United States and NATO imposed sanctions on the Pakistan. When Musharraf came to power in the coup d'etat the following year Pakistan was expelled from the commonwealth. This initially compounded the economic problems, and many experts claimed Pakistan was a failed state, as it was close to bankruptcy and investor confidence was at an all-time low. After Musharraf promised support in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, international sanctions were lifted.

Musharraf then appointed Shaukat Aziz a former Citibank executive as finance minister, . World powers weighed in for debt rescheduling to reward Pakistan due to the War on Terror, which helped in saving hundreds millions of dollars, in addition to securing new loans. As a result, foreign exchange reserves increased exceeding $16 billion in 2006, but at the same time foreign debt hit an all time high topping $40 billion . Critics claim that national institutions have been privatized at throw way prices through bogus bids, however the government claims that the economy has grown in several sectors and that per capita income of Pakistan has more than doubled in the last seven years.

Poverty alleviation

Upon assuming power, Pervez Musharraf made promises of poverty alleviation, according to the President of Pakistan website

The overall macro economic indicators from 1999 – 2004 have seen vast improvement with fiscal deficit, expenditures, and foreign debts having been reduced; and earnings, foreign exchange reserves, exports and revenue collection having increased.

Critics however point to the fact that Pakistan has recently witnessed the worst of its wheat crises, and high inflation, and, according to reports, despite "producing a bumper crop of 23.5 million tons" of wheat, the country suffered the worst shortages of wheat in the summer of 2007, with the prices of flour rising by more than 20%.

Corruption issues

When Musharraf came to power, he claimed that the corruption in the government bureaucracy would be cleaned up. However, as many analysts have noted, his regime has done little to quash corruption, even years into his administration.

According to a survey by Transparency International, Pakistani public opinion perceived the first and second terms of Musharraf's administration as respectively more corrupt than the first and second terms of previous administrations led by Benazir Bhutto and Mr. Sharif. However, that survey also indicates that public opinion perceived the second terms of all three leaders as being more corrupt than their first terms, respectively. And, furthermore, any one of those leader's second terms was perceived as being more corrupt than any of those leaders first terms. In fact, Ms. Butto's second term was perceived as being the second most corrupt according to those sampled by the survey. Gen. Musharraf's second term was perceived as being the most corrupt term of office among the those of the three leaders.

According to a combined poll done by Dawn News, Indian Express and CNN-IBN, a majority believe that corruption during this administration has increased. An Asian Development Bank report on the state of the country during the 60th year of Independence describes it as a country with "poor governance, endemic corruption and social indicators that are among the worst in Asia".

There have also been allegations that corrupt servicemen aren't being prosecuted because of the junta's clout. Pakistani media too have alleged that individual corruption of the previous government was replaced by institutionalised corruption of the Pakistan Army, awarding land deeds and a life of luxury to its officers..

Later in 2007, his government cost national exchequer hundreds of millions of Rupees to hire teams of expensive lawyers to represent his government in courts. In one such case regarding the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation, whose worth was stated to be Rupees 600 billion, and which was sold out for mere Rupees 20.6 billions , the government had spent Rupees 90 million, with Sharifuddin Pirzada alone getting away with 6.6 million rupees.

Suspension and reinstatement of the Chief Justice

On March 9, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf suspended the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. In an interview about the matter given to Geo TV, Musharraf stated that Chaudhry himself wished to meet with him and Musharraf then presented him with evidence related to charges made against Chaudhry for abuse of office. Other sources maintain that Chaudhry was summoned by the General at his Army residence in Rawalpindi and asked to explain his position on a list of charges brought against him from several quarters. Chaudhry was demanded to resign, but he refused and was detained. While this was not confirmed by the Affidavit presented by him in Supreme Court, While affidavits by other people in same case has said that it was not true and he (Chief Justice) has asked to meet the President and was not asked to resign. Meanwhile, another senior judge, Justice Javaid Iqbal, was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Musharraf's moves sparked protests among Pakistani lawyers. On 12 March 2007, lawyers across Pakistan began boycotting all court procedures in protest against the suspension. In the capital Islamabad, and in other cities such as Lahore, Karachi and Quetta, hundreds of lawyers dressed in black suits attended rallies, condemning the suspension as unconstitutional. More than twenty lawyers were injured in clashes with police during the demonstrations in Lahore. On 16 March, demonstrations became more widespread, and included protesters outside the legal community. Slowly the expressions of support for the ousted Chief Justice gathered momentum and by May, protesters and opposition parties took out huge rallies against Musharraf and his tenure as army chief was also challenged in the courts. Rallies held by the MQM and other political parties left more than 40 people dead in firefights in the streets of Karachi, and the offices of AAJ TV were caught in the crossfire and sustained damage. Opposition parties have accused the government and Rangers of not doing enough to stop the violence.

On 20 July, the Supreme Court reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. It also dismissed misconduct charges that Musharraf filed against him.

Lal Masjid siege

Main article: Lal Masjid siege

The standoff between the Pakistani government and the clerics of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad finally erupted into full scale violence on the morning of 8 July, 2007, when the official government delegation led by Shujaat Hussain declared that the negotiations with the militants holed up in the mosque have reached an agreement. Musharraf refused to accept the mutual agreement, drafted a new proposal of the agreement, and gave the militants half an hour to accept.

In addition to militants, there were several hundred students, many of who were young girls, whom Pakistan claims were being used as human shields.

After the negotiations failed the troops were given the go ahead to storm the complex, which they did. Codenamed ‘Operation Silence’ the objective was to capture or kill the militants if they resisted - as well as rescuing all the students kept as hostages. Musharraf had been criticised for some for his inaction against the Lal Masjid, many observers believe the final straw may have been the abduction of seven Chinese nationals Misguided by his companions irrespective of the current political scenario..

State of emergency

Main article: 2007 Pakistani state of emergency

On August 8, 2007 a rumour spread across Pakistan that a State of emergency was going to be enforced across the country. The rumour was picked up by the electronic media. Government Ministers confirmed that the option of enforcing emergency was being considered due to “internal and external threats” that the country was facing. Prompted by the news reports, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a 17-minute telephone call to Musharraf. A senior western diplomat noted that it is likely that Ms Rice persuaded the general to not impose such an emergency. . On 9th August-2007 General Musharraf confirmed that he would not be imposing emergency in Pakistan. This was followed by a clarification from the president of United States that the imposition of emergency in Pakistan was not a reality. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, President of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) admitted that he had suggested the imposition of “partial emergency” in the country. He also said that the government is still considering the imposition of emergency. However, the Karachi Stock Exchange fell after the rumour spread that the government is imposing emergency in Pakistan. The Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index fell 382.61, or 2.8 percent, to close at 13,181.94, the largest fluctuation among markets included in global benchmarks.

On 3rd November 2007 a state of emergency was imposed by President Musharraf and a provisional constitutional order was issued. While addressing the nation on State Television, President General Pervez Musharraf declared that the state of emergency was imposed in the country to safeguard the national interests and counter growing terrorism and the downward trend of economy.

Relations with Benazir Bhutto

Also on August 8, Benazir Bhutto spoke about her secret meeting with Musharraf on July 27, in an interview on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

On September 14, 2007, Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim stated that Bhutto won't be deported, but must face corruption suits against her. He clarified the rights of Nawaz Sharif and Bhutto to return to Pakistan: "Nawaz Sharif's case was different. He went back to Saudi Arabia because of an undertaking he had with the Saudi government; She (Bhutto) was always allowed to come back."Pakistan People's Party Farhatullah Babar said that Benazir Bhutto will forthwith declare the exact date of her return: "We are announcing the date of the return for Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan at 5:00 pm (1200 GMT)" (Makhdoom Amin Fahim will publish it at a news conference in Islamabad." Pervez Musharraf faced a rising militant violence, with a suicide bombing killing 15 elite commandos on September 13. Bhutto declared her return from 8 years exile on October 18. Makhdoom Amin Faheem, vice chair of Pakistan Peoples Party said that "Benazir Bhutto will be landing in Karachi on October 18."

On September 17, 2007, Bhutto accused Musharraf 's allies of pushing Pakistan to crisis by refusal to restore democracy and share power. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed stated that officials had agreed to grant Benazir Bhutto amnesty in pending corruption charges.

Resignation of army leadership

The Associated Press reported on August 29, 2007 that Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief. However, Musharraf confirmed within 24 hours of the report that he was to do no such thing and that he does not accept deadlines, indicating that he was not happy with Benazir's demands.

There are strong rumours in newspapers such as the "The news" and behind the scene all is set to appoint the 10 corp commander as next army chief quoting his seniority, Hafsa operation performance and family background similar to Tariq Aziz the national security adviser but that if Musharaf decides to resign. Some consider the ISI chief as another possible contender quoting his proximity to PPP and ethnicity. However if Musharaf resigns sooner than next month then there are two existent four star generals, the well connected chairman joint chiefs and the next in line vice army chief.

In October 2, 2007, Musharraf named Lt. Gen. Ashfaq Kayani as vice chief of the army starting October 8. If Musharraf resigns his military post, Kayani will become Chief of Army Staff.

Return of Nawaz Sharif

Main article: Nawaz Sharif § Return to Pakistan

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on September 2007, and was immediately arrested and taken into custody at the airport. Sharif initially refused to hand over his passport to immigration officials on the plane. Finally, the plane carrying Sharif left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia. "He has been sent back," a senior security official told AFP, as local television showed a Pakistan International Airlines plane carried deported Sharif from Islamabad airport.

Sharif returned to Jeddah, where he was met by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Miqren bin Abdul Aziz. Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul Haq stated that "He has not only embarrassed Pakistan but also the leadership of Saudi Arabia by violating the agreement.." The European Union asked the Pakistani government to respect the court ruling, while the American government said that the deportation was an "internal matter" but said that elections should be "free and fair". US organisation Human Rights Watch accused Pervez Musharraf of violating international law, and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party condemned the deportation by filing a contempt suit in the Supreme Court.

2007 elections

Main article: Pakistani presidential election, 2007

In an interview in March 2007, Musharraf said that he intends to stay in the office for another five years.

A 9-member panel of Supreme Court judges deliberated on 6 petitions (including Jamaat-e-Islami's, Pakistan's largest Islamic group) for disqualification of Musharraf as presidential candidate. Bhutto stated that her party may join other opposition groups, including Nawaz Sharif's. Attorney-general Malik Mohammed Qayyum stated that, pendente lite, the Election Commission was "reluctant" to announce the schedule for the presidential vote. Bhutto's party Farhatullah Babar stated that the Constitution could bar Musharraf from being elected again because he holds the army chief's post. "As Gen. Musharraf is disqualified from contesting for President, he has prevailed upon the Election Commission to arbitrarily and illegally tamper with the Constitution of Pakistan."

On September 24, 2007, the president of the Supreme Court bar association, Munir Malik, announced that former Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed will challenge Musharraf in Pakistan's October presidential election. Ahmad had little chance of defeating Musharraf (since the president is elected by parliament and provincial assemblies). Also, 24 persons were detained due to protest outside the court in Islamabad. On September 28, 2007, in a 6-3 vote, the court presided by Judge Rana Bhagwandas ruled: "These petitions are held to be non-maintainable." The judgment removed obstacles to Musharraf's election bid.

On October 2, 2007, 85 Pakistani opposition lawmakers resigned from the country's parliament to derail Musharraf's reelection bid. National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain stated that the resignations would not affect the presidential election. Under Pakistani law, the national parliament and provincial assemblies choose the president. The current parliament is expected to elect a president before October 15, with the new five-year term starting on November 15.

On October 6, 2007, Musharraf won a vote to be re-elected Pakistan's president. However, the Supreme Court ruled that no winner will be proclaimed until it decides on the legality issue.

Emergency declared in Pakistan

Main article: 2007 Pakistani state of emergency

On November 3 2007 President Musharraf declared an emergency rule across Pakistan. He suspended the Constitution, imposed martial law, and fired the chief justice of the Supreme Court. In Islamabad, troops apparently entered the Supreme Court and were surrounding the judges' homes. Troops have been deployed inside state-run TV and radio stations, while independent channels have gone off air. Land and mobile telephone lines are down in Islamabad. The court was to decide whether Musharraf was eligible to run for election last month while remaining army chief.

Foreign policy

Support for the War on Terror

File:BUSHPERVEZ.jpg

President Musharraf and President Bush during a press conference in the White House

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Musharraf sided with the United States against the Taliban government in Afghanistan after an ultimatum by the United States. Musharraf agreed to give the United States the use of three airbases for Operation Enduring Freedom. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials met with Musharraf. Musharraf's reversal of policy and help to the U.S. military was necessary in the U.S. bombing that rapidly overcame the Taliban regime. On September 19, 2001, Musharraf addressed the people of Pakistan and stated while he supported the Taliban, unless Pakistan reversed its support, Pakistan risked being endangered by an alliance of India and the USA. In 2006, Musharraf testified that this stance was pressured by threats from the U.S, and revealed in his memoirs that he had "war-gamed" the United States as an adversary and decided that it would end in Pakistan losing such a conflict, especially since arch rivals India would also join in such an attack.

Relations with India

Musharraf was Chief of Army Staff at the time of Mujahideen incursions into India from Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the summer of 1999. Although Pakistan claimed that these were Kashmiri freedom fighters based in Indian-controlled Kashmir, later developments showed that they were Pakistani paramilitary soldiers backing up the separatists on the mountain top. After fierce fighting, Pakistani soldiers were pulled back due to pressure from the international community. Some reports suggest that Musharraf retreated after huge pressure on the former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the American President Bill Clinton, who feared the conflict could turn into a nuclear catastrophe.

However, in Battle Ready, a book co-authored by ex-CENTCOM Commander in Chief Anthony Zinni and novelist Tom Clancy, the former alleges that Musharraf was the one who pushed Sharif to withdraw the Pakistani troops after being caught in a losing scenario. According to an ex-official of the Musharraf government, Hassan Abbas, it was Musharraf who planned the whole operation and sold the idea to Nawaz Sharif. The view that Musharraf wanted to attempt the Kargil infiltrations much earlier was also revealed by Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto in an interview with a leading daily newspaper, where he had supposedly boasted that "he would hoist the flag of Pakistan atop the Srinagar Assembly" if his plan was executed PML(N), a leading Pakistan party added that Musharraf had planned the Kargil intrusions but panicked when the conflict broke out with India and decided to brief then- Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif. Since the Kargil incident came just after the Lahore Peace Summit earlier that year, Musharraf, who is perceived by some Indians as the architect of the Kargil Conflict, is often regarded with scepticism in India.

In the middle of 2004, Musharraf began a series of talks with India to solve the Kashmir dispute. In addition to the Kashmir dispute, both leaders discussed the following issues: Wullar Barrage and Kishangaga power project, Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River being built by India in Jammu and Kashmir, Disputed Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch, Siachin glacier, Issues of Gurdaspur and Ferozepur's status, Hindu-Muslim Relations, Autonomy for the Sikhs in Indian Punjab, Minority rights, Indian contentions that Pakistan is sponsoring "cross-border" terrorism.

In 2007, Musharraf stated, after a meeting with Indian PM Manmohan Singh, that the current push to normalize relations between the two states is "irreversible."

Relationship with Al Qaeda

On July 22nd 2004, The Guardian reported that Omar Sheikh, a British-born Islamist, had, on the instructions of General Mahmoud Ahmed, the then head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), wired $100,000 before the 9/11 attacks to Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker. When Ahmed was exposed by the Wall Street Journal as having sent the money to the hijackers, he was forced to retire by President Musharraf. The 9/11 commission did not investigate this funding.

In September 2007, in the aftermath of the Lal Masjid incident and rising tension, Bin Laden urged his followers to fight a holy war against Musharraf and the Pakistani army.

Richard Armitage comments on controversy

During a September 24, 2006 interview with CBS News's 60 Minutes program (interviewed by Steve Kroft), Musharraf described how then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had called Musharraf's intelligence director shortly following the September 11, 2001 attacks and threatened military action if Pakistan did not support the U.S.-led War on Terror. According to Musharraf, Armitage warned: "Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age" Furthermore, during an interview with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show on September 26, 2006, Musharraf stated that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell also contacted him with a similar message: "You are with us or against us." Musharraf refused to elaborate further, citing the then-upcoming release of his book, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir (ISBN 0-7432-8344-9). Armitage has, however, categorically denied that the U.S. used such harsh words to threaten Pakistan whereas President Bush has refrained from publicly acknowledging the possibility of the exact wordings being used. However, according to the press statement he said that "I was taken aback".

Nuclear proliferation

One of the most widely-reported controversies during Musharraf's administration arose as a consequence of the disclosure of nuclear proliferation by Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the metallurgist known as the father of Pakistan's bomb. Musharraf has denied knowledge of or participation by Pakistan's government or army in this proliferation and has faced bitter domestic criticism for singularly vilifying Khan, a former national hero. Khan has been pardoned in exchange for cooperation in the investigation, but is still under house arrest. The fate of those who were found to have conspired with Khan is yet to be decided.

Approval ratings

By August 2007 Musharraf had become increasingly unpopular domestically. An International Republican Institute survey showed that 64% of the population did not want another term to be granted to Musharraf as the president of Pakistan. The Economist reported that the country was in a mess even by Pakistan standards. A respected journalist Ayaz Amir stated that the General was “the author of his own misfortune”. The article stated that unlike other dictators, Musharraf has an easy exit that should be heeded to.

President Musharraf admitted that his popularity was on a decline. The president admitted that “Yes, my popularity has been reduced. Yes, I agree with you.” The Dawn, a leading news paper, conducted a survey showed that about 54.5% urban Pakistanis believe that military should have no role in politics while 65.2% want Gen Pervez Musharraf to leave the office of the president.

However, more recent surveys shows that Musharraf's popularity has further decreased. A survey conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow shows that Osama Bin Ladin is more popular in Pakistan than President Musharraf. According to poll results, bin Laden has a 46 percent approval rating. Musharraf's support is 38 percent. U.S. President George W. Bush's approval rating is 9 percent. 'Poll: Bin Laden tops Musharraf in Pakistan. But many analysts believe that the surveys as above are misleading as they do not lead to realization of ground situation because for average Pakistanis Bin Laden is a remote largely video and Media based character.

In an effort to boost his falling popularity ratings in an election year, Musharraf will be a regular guest star on a state-sponsored Q&A show titled "From the President's House". The show will be aired weekly on PTV and partly or wholly on some private channels.

On November 3rd, 2007, Musharraf declared a State of Emergency in Pakistan to postpone the ongoing case of his re-election.

Legacy

Musharraf claims to be a moderate leader, with liberal and progressive ideas, and has expressed admiration for the founder of the Turkish Republic Kemal Ataturk. Musharraf's policy is often seen as a secularist counterpart to militant Islam.

His government maintains that Pakistan is prospering due to his economic and social reforms. Statements issued by the government suggest significant improvement in the economy, Experts are, however, cautious about any optimism, since the steep rise in GDP is attributed to rebasing done in 2004. External debt, on the other hand, has for the first time hit $40 billion mark.

His government claims to be a champion of the freedom of press and media. However, following the media coverage of the carnage in Karachi on May 12, 2007, Musharraf attempted to curb the freedom of press by decree. The measure backfired, with severe backlash, and was eventually withdrawn. In order to counter rapidly growing anger and frustration among the masses against his policies, state owned television, PTV, has decided to air weekly shows involving him to bolster his approval ratings. On September 29, 2007, his government demonstrated the worst of aggression against the journalists. On the Constitutional Avenue, right in front of the Supreme Court, the state brutally baton charged journalists without any provocation who had gathered there not in protest but only to report news. 34 journalists were severely injured, the worst example of atrocity in the entire history of Pakistan including the previous periods of martial law.

He has expressed admiration for the right-wing General Rahimuddin Khan, the authoritarian martial law administrator of Balochistan throughout the 1980s. He was severely criticized by human rights organizations following his comments in response to the rape of Mukhtar Mai. On September 23, 2005, during a tape-recorded 50 Minute interview with the Washington Post, Musharraf had suggested that rape was becoming a "moneymaking concern" in Pakistan.

Books

• Pervez Musharraf, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir (2006)

See also

• List of national leaders
• Politics of Pakistan
• Line of Succession to President of Pakistan
• Nawaz Sharif
• Musharraf view on Enlightened moderation
• Mirza Tahir Hussain
• Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Chief Justice of Pakistan

External links

Official websites

• General Pervez Musharraf
• Pervez Musharraf
• Official Presidential website
• Official Biographical website
• Official Repository of Presidential Speeches

Biographies and profiles

• Biography on storyofpakistan.com
• Time magazine cover story on Musharraf
• Profile in September 2004 by the BBC

Video material on Musharraf

• Videos from Pakistani News channels having information related to Musharraf

Books on Musharraf

• " The Musharraf Factor, by Abid Ullah Jan

Articles by Musharraf

• "A Plea for Enlightened Moderation", by Pervez Musharraf, Washington Post opinion piece

Interviews

• An hour with Pervez Musharraf, Charlie Rose (video)
• Address by Pervez Musharraf to U.S. Institute of Peace (text, audio & video available) June 2003
• The Telegraph, United Kingdom, 20 June 2004
• Time magazine, United States, 25 September 2005
• Washington Post, United States, 29 January 2006
  • Musharraf: "There is no milk and honey flowing after you get these two people", referring to Osama and Zawahiri and that military might alone cannot defeat terrorism.
• Pakistani President Musharraf speaks to students and diplomats about the future of Pakistan, Fora TV, September 23, 2006 (Video)

Referendum

• Referendum report
• BBC report on referendum
• Speech on national TV, in which Musharraf apologizes for "improper" voting in the referendum
  • "...at lower level due to unnecessary enthusiasm and carelessness, inefficiency and ignorance there might have been some improper case of voting in some areas. If this is true I regret it from the core of my heart. I feel sad and sorry for it," said Musharraf.

Electoral College vote

• "Pakistan Gives Musharraf Confidence Vote as President"; New York Times; January 1, 2004

Other articles

• President Clinton's statement regarding the 1999 coup
• "US threatened to bomb Pakistan back to 'the Stone Age'"
• Supreme Leader urges stronger Iran-Pakistan relations

Surveys

• Poll Grading Gen. Musharraf
• Survey by The Gallup Organization
• Report by Washington-based Pew Research Center

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