The plight of Musharraf, if read along with the power politics practised by the military dictators who had preceded him, is a lesson to the men in uniform on the dangers of being carried away by the parade spirit. Because, as Musharraf’s case tells, once the uniform is shed, the ex-Generals and ex- Air Marshals are relegated to the sidelines of history. This was the reason why Musharraf had tenaciously held onto his job as the army chief during the better part of his reign. Gen Kayani, who succeeded him as army chief has proved smarter than his former boss. He is shunning the front seat and is content as the power behind the throne.
The meeting between Musharraf and King Abdullah is scheduled for January 22. He had already sounded senior administration officials in Washington of his fears of arrest or assassination attempt once on Karachi soil, and sought their help to seek foolproof guarantees on his security from Army Chief General Kayani and President Zardari. He has tentatively planned to arrive at Karachi on January 31. This date is tentative because he has had several such dates fixed for his home coming.
Riyadh has been playing the role of Good Samaritan on the Pakistan scene for years. When Musharraf booted out Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup, he was persuaded by the Saudi leadership to save the PML leader’s skin and worked out terms of his exile. And when it was Musharraf’s turn to get hooted out, Riyadh did him a similar favour. Even in the recent stand off between Gen Kayani and Prime Minister Gilani and between Kayani and CIA, Saudi Arabia stepped in with its middle path to avert showdowns.
From what Musharraf’s spokesman and All Pakistan Muslim League leader Chaudhry Fawad has told the News, it is clear that the general has a perfect cover in place for his audience with Saudi King. ‘I don’t know about Musharraf’s meeting with King Abdullah but I can confirm that he is going to Saudi Arabia on 19th or 20th January to perform Umra’. He, however, said that APML would spend at least Rs117 million for a ‘Welcome Pervez Musharraf’ publicity campaign; another Rs6.29 million would be spent on transport and other arrangements of only one public meeting to be held on his arrival. Well, this is a pep talk meant for keeping up the spirits of the cadres
Why Musharraf wants to get back into the thick of politics, which has become a theatre of the absurd, is unclear. He has no mass base. And the party he had created was a King’s party; the moment the king lost his crown, it disintegrated. A large chunk of the APML has migrated to the ‘new darling’, Imran Khan, whose party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, (PTI), today enjoys the blessings of the establishment, and has all the trappings of being the new King’s party.
It is natural for Musharraf to worry about Imran factor and to rush home to take control of the situation. The moment he lands, he will have to face cases like Akbar Bugti’s murder and the imposition of Nov 3, 2007 martial law. Then of course is the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Ifthikar Chaudhry, who has scores to settle. Complicating the picture is the fact that CJP and Kayani are on the same page today.
In the fast changing geo-political equations, neither Washington nor Riyadh will like to worry about Musharraf’s dilemmas. He may not be spent force in the conventional sense but he is a limited value asset. So, both capitals will let Kayani handle the Musharraf demand in his own way. It means sounding of the Last Post to Musharraf’s dreams of ending his exile.
