Why Musharraf should return?

Ex-President and former Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf's return to Pakistan now appears to be a possibility; in fact, he seems to have exhausted all excuses of pressing engagements that earlier stood in his way back home. In not too uncertain terms, that is a characteristic of his expression, he said he would be landing at Karachi airport through January 27-30 and then run around the country mustering support for his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) candidates, and as for him he would contest from Chitral and "win". That he would be meeting the Saudi leadership before coming is not much different in case of the political exiles of Pakistan. Saudis are good hosts and friends of Pakistan, their 'interventions' in Pakistani affairs generally succeed in lowering the political temperatures. As election season seems to be tiptoeing into our national scheme of things General Musharraf's return can be described as 'more the merrier' that his APML rally in the grounds of the Quaid's mausoleum fell far short of his aides' expectations and finally when it did get to the brim even then it didn't make it to the five-digit tally and was essentially a motley crowd. But there is an equally cogent explanation: General Musharraf wasn't there in person as he addressed the rally via a video link from Dubai. If General Musharraf is now keen on coming back there are some people who are equally eager to receive him; they say the general being a proclaimed offender would be handcuffed as soon as he lands on the Pakistani soil. He is wanted in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, as the prosecution wants him to be tried for his 'failure to provide adequate security' resulting in her murder. But General Musharraf is undeterred; he says he would be coming to Pakistan though there are "attempts to scare me off". "There are baseless cases against me, but we will face these in the courts". The sources familiar with high-profile homecomings are of the view that the arrest of a former army chief isn't something on in Pakistan. Even President Zardari in a recent interview explained his government's inability to prevent Pervez Musharraf's ceremonial departure as an act intended not to be damaging to the morale of the forces. Yet it is a great unknown how the GHQ would react in case the former Chief of Army Staff is taken into custody by the police. But how the former President would escape the application of Article 6 (High Treason) for his subversion of the Constitution - for, even when his original 'sin' was condoned, the second sin of proclaiming Emergency and suspending the Constitution in November 2007 stands unindemnified. In fact, in the wake of 18th Amendment the applicability of this clause has been further refined and strengthened by adding the provision that "An act of high treason ...shall not be validated by any court including the Supreme Court or a High Court". How a former army chief can be arrested and punished, a recent decision of a Turkish court of doing exactly that should serve as an example. Knowing General Musharraf's mindset and his political thinking thanks to his long one-man rule, it would be naïve to hope that he has something new or revolutionary to offer to the people. Yes, compared to today's economic plight of the people, his era was better, but only slightly, and if we factor in the rampant ad hocism he employed instead of confronting the challenges posed by various developments inside and outside of Pakistan squarely, most of the present problems can be traced as his legacy. Even when his party is on the ground and his supporters in the field, the fact is that he has nothing new as the 'change' he claims to bring about. Of course, the tsunami is an after-effect of the earthquake, which Pervez Musharraf says he will trigger, but if we go by geological records most earthquakes pass unnoticed. His rally in Karachi was too feeble an 'earthquake' to force people out of their homes onto the streets; not even a small fraction of his so-called million-strong Facebook following was anywhere in sight on Sunday. But why should he be so anxious to do something good for Pakistan again after his not-too-glorious long innings remains an enigma. That a person can be as good democratic leadership material as an absolute ruler who would trash a people's basic document called the constitution - one has to invent an argument. And, that he wants to come back despite so much going against him and at risk of being tried for high treason - one would like to know why. Copyright Business Recorder, 2012