I agree that the correct advice would have been for Gen Musharraf to stay put. What I wonder about is the advice upon which he concluded that returning to participate in an electoral process where he does not have the might of his previous office behind him would be a fruitful course of action.
Salaam to all the Muslims,
President Pervez Musharraf is a strategist. He's thinking long-term, Pakistan in 2018.
My assumption is that Pakistan Armed Forces' long term strategy envisions
former military men doing democratic politics in Pakistan. Reason being for this is that coup d'état popularity usually fizzles out after around 3-4 years due to public becoming impatient. The transition at the beginning and at the end of each military-rule has been quite traumatic each time for Pakistan.
Here's what I mean, General Elections 2008. Allahu Alam.
Salaam to all the Muslims.
PAKISTAN DECIDES: 75 retired military officers contesting polls
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
By Qamar Jabbar
LAHORE:
As many as 75 retired military officers are taking part in the general elections for the national and provincial assemblies. Of the total, 28 retired military officers are contesting for the National Assembly, while 47 are contesting for provincial assemblies.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has issued party tickets to four retired officers for National Assembly seats and to 16 others for provincial assembly seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has fielded five officers for the National Assembly and nine officers for provincial assemblies.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated two retired officers for the National Assembly and seven for provincial assemblies. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) fielded only one retired officer for the National Assembly.
For the National Assembly, 16 retired officers are contesting elections as independent candidates, while 15 others are contesting for provincial assemblies, according to the final list of candidates issued by the Election Commission.
The names of retired officers contesting elections are:
PPP: Brig (r) Tariq Fateh Muhammad (NA-100), Maj (r) Zulfiqar Ali Gondal (NA-109), Lt Col (r) Sultan Sikandar Ghumman (NA-112), Col (r) Nisar Ahmad Khan (NA-137), Col (r) Shabbir Awan (PP-2), Brig (r) Muhammad Hussain Awan (PP-4), Col (r) Sultan Surkhru Khan (PP-23), Col (r) Anwar Afridi (PP-26), Maj (r) Faiz Ahmad Faiz (PP-27), Maj (r) Abdul Rehman Rana (PP-53), Maj (r) Abdul Basit (PP-60), Maj (r) Moeen Nawaz Warraich (PP-109), Maj Tariq Yousaf Rajput (PP-121), Maj (r) Bashir Arshad Joya (PP-156), Col (r) Tariq (PP-161), Maj (r) Ejaz Shahid (PP-192), Capt (r) Izaat Javed Khan (PP-211), Col (r) Naveed Sajid (PP-287), Maj (r) Zaffar Azam Khan (PS-20) and Maj (r) Latifullah Khan (PF-65).
PML-Q: Lt Col (r) Muhammad Anwar (NA-58), Lieutenant Col (r) Ghulam Rasul Sahi (NA-75), Maj (r) Habibullah Warraich (NA-129), Brig (r) Zulfikar Hamad Dhillon (NA-131), Brig (r) Javaid Hassan (NA-145), Col (r) Malik Muhammad Anwar (PP-18), Maj (r) Asghar Hayat Kalyar (PP-37), Brig (r) Javed Akram (PP-87), Maj (r) Ehsan Elahi Chaudhry (PP-119), Col (r) Muhammad Abbas (PP-134) Lt Col (r) Shujaat Ahmad Khan (PP-136), Maj (r) Peer Ijaz Ahmad (PP-181), Maj (r) Pir Ijaz Ahmad (PP-182) and Maj (r) Khalil Akhtar (PP-191).
PML-N: Lt Gen (r) Sayed Sallahuddin Tirmizi (NA-20), Col (r) Mian Akram (NA-106), Col (r) Sultan Surkhru (PP-23), Capt (r) Abdul Khaliq Khar (PP-255), Capt (r) Jehangir Zaman (PF-9), Col (r) Sultan Surkhru Awan (PP-23), Lt Col (r) Sardar Muhammad Ayyub Khan (PP-87) and Col (r) Rafaqat Ali Rana (PP-236).
MQM: Maj (r) Habibur Rehman Mayo (NA-138).
Independents: Lt Col (r) Abdul Ghaffar Javed (NA-18), Lt Col (r) Inamullah (NA-26), Col (r) Raja Javed Mujtaba (NA-107), Maj (r) Rana Abdul Ghaffar Khan (NA-127), Maj (r) Javed Nasarullah (NA-132, PP-165), Maj (r) Sardar Zulfiqar Hussain (NA-136), Wing Commander (r) Muhammad Nawaz Asim (NA-158), Capt (r) Chaudhry Muhammad Asad Iqbal (NA-159), Lt Col (r) Sayed Karim Haider (NA-183), Major (r) Sayed Tanveer Hussain (NA-193), Capt (r) Haleem Ahmad Siddiqui (NA-239), Col (r) Abdul Jabbar Abbasi (NA-253), Brig (r) Umair Ahmad Siddiqui (NA-255), Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir (NA-259), Maj (r) Amir Aziz Kurd (NA-267) and Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir (NA-271).
Independent candidates for provincial assembly seats are:
Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Yousaf (PB-2), Col (r) Muhammad Yousaf Changizi (PB-6), Capt (r) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai (PB-11), Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir (PB-46), Maj (r) Bashir Ahmad Khattak (PF-15), Col (r) Abdul Jabbar Abbasi (PS-101), Brig (r) Mahmood Hussain Azad (PP-27), Maj (r) Sirbuland Ali Khan (PP-37), Maj (r) Muhammad Akram (PP-60), Lt Col (r) Ghazanfar Abbas Shah (PP-78), Col (r) Muhammad Safdar Mahmood (PP-86), Lt Col (r) Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry (PP-112), Lt Col (r) Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry (PP-115), Maj (r) Zulfiqar Ali Gondal (PP-118) and Maj (r) Rana Abdul Ghaffar Khan (PP-176).
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan