Eight years ago Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, was thrown into prison and tried by the military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf. Sharif was jailed before being forced into exile in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday the Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief arrived in Pakistan at a time when impeachment stares Musharraf in the face.The question being asked is whether President Musharraf would find a sanctuary in the desert kingdom. (My earlier post here…)
The photo above (courtesy AFP) shows Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz. AFP reports: “A senior official said that ‘Yes, Saudi intelligence chief did visit Pakistan on Friday and met senior government officials.The main purpose of the visit was to find an amicable solution to the (Musharraf impeachment) issue and that no one should become a laughing stock’.
“Asked what solution the coalition regarded as acceptable, the official said that ‘Musharraf should step down’ but that it was ‘really up to Musharraf’ if his plans included exile to Saudi Arabia.” More here…
The Financial Times says: “Now that the Musharraf strategy has passed its sell-by date, many policy experts in Washington question whether it was as mistaken to place America’s eggs in Musharraf’s basket as it was for Mr Bush to read a good ‘soul’ behind Vladimir Putin’s poker eyes.
“Both countries, and particularly Pakistan, are now either less willing or able to co-operate with American interests than they were in 2001…” More here…
The Independent says: “Since seizing power in 1999, Mr Musharraf has cheated both physical and political death several times. If he survives this latest crisis, it will be his most surprising turn yet. As one of his close allies, Senator Mushahid Hussain, often says: ‘Musharraf is like a cat with nine lives and he has used eight of them’.” More here…
Meanwhile analysts have begun to look at post-Musharraf era. A sample here…
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.