When was the so called Muslim nation a true democracy in the real sense of the word? It has always been a three pronged battle for power amongst the state's Legislative, Army and surprisingly enough the Judiciary as well. I am not much into history, and not the least interested in history that is as entangled in its own carcasses as Pakistan's is. But, for someone who has mistaken general knowledge and common sense for current affairs, I think I know a lot more than a common, irrationally thinking Pakistani national. Zia-ul-Haq's famous public prosecution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto his subsequent coming to power and of course a quiet farewell, to the recent elections in Pakistan which have brought an end to another dictatorial rule is like a vicious cycle of political and power struggle repeating itself in a rather timely manner.
But yes, for now, Pervez Musharraf the army chief who rose to be a president as also a simultaneous Chief of Staff, gave up his military post midway (far too late rather) is no longer the president too. I have not read his biography, or his philosophy of life for that matter. But, from his face... (I love reading faces), he seemed like a man with a genuine cause. Of course, we as Indians won't have much to do with it, because his genuine cause, or any Pakistani administrator's for that matter, will never be about solving the Kashmir imbroglio, they have got a whole country to rule, come on! But, when he seized power from Nawaz Sharif nine years back, it did seem he was a man with a mission.
And, his unfathomable support to America and Bush's never ending war on terror, did nothing to improve Pakistan's image in the world. But then, our neighbour has a history of not being good at anything in the world, and thus tensions continued here and there, both internal and external, which ultimately resulted in polls being announced, Benazir Bhutto getting killed, and ultimately, Pakistan coming back to democracy, or just about that.
As a common citizen, who thinks a bit rationally, than some others, I felt a bit more safe with Musharraf at the helm rather than a multi party administration, where the Prime Minister himself is a puppet and not even he knows the man with the button to the nukes. And, the Indian government for all its diplomacy and policy of promotion of Democracy at the international level, might hail it as an important step in the restoration of democracy in the troubled Muslim nation, somewhere deep in there, like all of us, it knows that Musharraf's ouster is the end of an era. An era, that promised a lot, and could well have delievered too, was it not for the forces that be.
Mian Musharraf, may not get to reside in Pakistan any longer, or worse still, he may be hanged like his predecessors, but i still refuse to label him a murderer of democracy in a nation, where none ever existed.