Exit of a trusted ally

While being America’s enemy is sometimes inconvenient, being America’s friend is invariably fatal.-Henry Kissenger.

Finally President Musharraf decided to call it a day on August 18. Though his departure from the political scene has left many questions unanswered. His sudden exit has also disappointed a lot of people who thought of him as a military man who would stick to his guns till the end. Guess people had forgotten that he like all our previous rulers was at the beck and call of his ‘Master’. How the master deserted him is a lesson for all the future leaders of this country. But will the new rulers learn or will they repeat the same mistake and ignore the masses?

President Musharraf resigned rather than drag the nation through an acrimonious impeachment process that would have bled the economy and deepened the political paralysis in the country. The announcement came just a day after the United States said that it was not considering any proposal to grant political asylum to Musharraf. So, he took the decision not because it was graceful but because political necessity dictated it after he lost support of America and the Army. It is stipulated that he will stay in Pakistan for some days before taking a flight out of the country as part of the deal where he has been offered a safe passage.

After remaining in power for almost a decade, Musharraf stepped down dismissing all allegations levelled against him by the ruling coalition. However, Musharraf’s claim that he was in favour of reconciliation is not so convincing as he didn’t like the idea of making up with the mainstream parties of the country.