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Musharraf pulls PR wool over public's eyes
By Erik Weisner
weisnere@mscd.edu

Last week the president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, made the rounds on American television shows, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He did so to boost sales of his memoir, In the Line of Fire, released Sept. 25. Watching the warm welcome he received, the opportunistic and cynical way in which the United States sees the world was made evident.

Musharraf is a military dictator who overthrew the elected government of his country. In 1999, as head of Pakistan’s army, he masterminded an infiltration into Kashmir, known as the Kargil Conflict, which brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war. After Indian forces pushed the Pakistani soldiers out, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried to dismiss Musharraf, but instead, Musharraf lead a coup against Sharif and seized power.

When he took power, Musharraf promised elections in 2002. These elections took place, but the general was the only candidate, and any opposition was barred from participating. He also pledged to relinquish his military position by 2005. It is three months from 2007 and Musharraf still serves as both head of Pakistan’s army and as its president.

Before Sept. 11, Pakistan was one of only three countries in the world that gave diplomatic recognition to the Taliban. That quickly changed after the terrorists attacked, and America went to war in Afghanistan against the Taliban. Earlier this year, a group of prominent Pakistanis, including retired generals close to Musharraf, issued a letter reprimanding the dictator, saying “the office of president of Pakistan is also a political office and combining the presidency with the office of army chief of staff politicizes the latter post as well as the army.”

Despite all this, Musharraf was welcomed to the United States as an ally and statesman. The only guff he received from the media focused on whether he was doing enough in the war on terror. It would seem as long as somebody is an ally of the U.S., even a show as critical as The Daily Show is happy to avoid questions about Musharraf’s human rights record.

As strange as it is for a currently serving head of state to come out with a memoir (which ordinary Pakistanis can’t afford), I find it stranger that he can avoid any mention of his being a dictator. Maybe it is necessary for the U.S. to work with this man for reasons of national security or global stability, but in that case it should openly be said, rather than misleading the public by treating Musharraf as a man of honor and dignity. Instead of portraying a military dictator as a good person so long as he serves U.S. interests, why don’t we try the truth for a change?