Lands and Maulanas

Strange are the ways of our rulers some beyond the comprehension of the ordinary! While most try to help themselves, some lavish the coin and kind onto their lackeys. Still others indulge in pure entrepreneurial deals mostly political. Musharraf is accused of one such deal where he doled out some agro lands to the near and dear ones of  Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Mr. Akram Durrani with a view to buying them out politically. I have no intentions of defending Musharraf if he has done something wrong violating the rules. However, at the same time I cannot help say that he could "˜buy' them only because they were a saleable commodity with a price. Had the religious stalwarts, who claim to know Islam more than us the ordinary, been incorruptible no one could buy them for a wrong-doing for all the gold in the world what to talk of a few acres of land only. 

Coming to Musharraf as to why did he do it. The usual accusation is -  to prolong his rule.  Prolong his rule, for what?  What did he gain by prolonging the rule?  How much wealth did he amass? Anyone else in his position of being an absolute dictator "“ as he is labelled - for 8 long years would have amassed BILLIONS. Please, no rhetoric, no hearsay, no ifs and buts, facts and facts only.  How many mills and factories, kick backs and commissions, palaces and necklaces, luxury flats and apartments, foreign bank deposits and accounts, business interests abroad and local and off shore companies, etc. etc. does he or anyone in his family own? Also no waffling please, that things will start unfolding against him too, like others, with the passage of time.  He has been around for 9 years now and the 'hounds' are known to pick up the scent and track the events from day one. Had there been even a trace of a whiff of a stink the carcase would have been dug out long time ago. Please tell us of his PERSONAL material gains and not of what he did or did not do,  constitutionally or unconstitutionally and that how did he "˜destroy' Pakistan, which is all a matter of open debate. 

Truly

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)

30, Westridge-1

Rawalpindi 46000

Tel: (051) 546 3344