General Pervez Musharraf has been described by some as a ‘charming dictator’…but he is also known to become vicious when he feels offended. President George Bush and General Musharraf enjoy excellent rapport because both love steamroller approach to world’s most ticklish issues.
The similarities do not end there. Bush and Musharraf continue with their controversial policies despite major public opposition to these in their respective countries.
So, it seems likely that Musharraf would continue to be in the saddle until the tenure of the present occupant of the White House in the US comes to an end.
But what if Pakistan explodes from within in view of the reign of terror being unleashed by the military, and hundreds of Musharraf opponents being put behind bars? The national and international media is now being censored…
There are no easy answers. However, the situation is turning explosive as Musharraf is not allowing any steam to escape from the pressure cooker that Pakistan is turning into.
And now a hypothetical question – would President Bush send the Marines to support General Musharraf (its main “ally against terrorism”) if, God forbid, major violence/bloodbath starts on the streets of Pakistani cities against the present regime? Who would benefit from this dangerous instability in Pakistan?
Meanwhile there are some interesting write-ups on the present developments in Pakistan and the US. Click here…
There is an interesting profile of the “charming dictator” Musharraf in Time magazine …please click here…
The IHT has an AP report: “By unleashing a police state on his country, Musharraf put in motion a trifecta of trouble for the Bush administration. A nuclear-armed Pakistan lurched further into instability, civil rights and parliamentary elections were shoved aside, and the credibility of a Bush-backed leader took an enormous hit.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.