An open letter to Pervez Musharraf

If you do not accept your faults, then you are the same Musharraf who chewed on the foundations of Pakistan. I, for one, will not welcome you unless you apologize.

Dear Mr Musharraf,

I am writing to you in good faith. Recently, your political activities have increased. Every Pakistani should have the right to take part in the democratic process and bring change to this country. However, it is essential that you publicly apologize to the Pakistani nation for the various blunders you made during your forced rule. Only then should you be welcomed into the political arena. You may claim to be extremely patriotic, but in my opinion, you always gave your throne more importance than Pakistan.

Firstly, there is absolutely no excuse for playing around with the constitution. You did that. You somehow justified that and got away with it. Since power was your goal, you sold Pakistan to the highly controversial ‘war of terror’. The war helped you make influential friends, but at whose cost? I know how power can blind someone, but roasting the whole country just to keep your authority intact was clearly out of line. Your policy on the Red Mosque and the murder of a Baloch leader still awaits explanation. I will not elaborate on the problems, because that is not the purpose of this letter. The purpose is to ask for a public apology.

The break  in Pakistan’s already lagging democratic process by your hijacking of the system has cost Pakistan at least a decade of planning and development. You overthrew a government that you claimed was failing. Who were you to decide? Moreover, if that government was not doing too well, a new government would have taken over once their tenure was over. But slashing the whole system and thinking that you and only you were right is certainly the wrong thought process. Removing one incompetent government and replacing it with another incompetent government of your choice was a ridiculous tactic to keep your authority. Or do you feel you did the right thing?

If you are too stubborn to accept your faults, then you are the same Mr Musharraf who chewed on the foundations of Pakistan. I, for one, will not welcome you unless you apologize loud and clear. If you think that my opinion as an individual does not count, I feel you still have the rigid mindset that helped you ruin Pakistan. My request for an apology is too reasonable to discard.

A good leader must have a vision, be popular, persuasive, intelligent, pragmatic and honest to his work. You are clearly very intelligent and competent. You have a strong personality, excellent communication skills and a moderate, progressive vision. But you used all your abilities for yourself, not Pakistan. Because of your actions, the democratic counter was set to zero, again!

Mr. Musharraf, have the courtesy to accept your faults and apologize to the nation. It will only make you a bigger person and a better candidate for any office.

Yours Sincerely.