ISLAMABAD: General (r) Pervez Musharraf – former Pakistani army chief and president – said that United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump lacks the know-how of South Asia’s political dynamics and has yet to formulate a strategy.
“This is a golden opportunity for Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif needs to step up and build an immediate liaison with the president-elect,” the general said.
He said Trump’s administration has some people who have positive views of Pakistan and ‘this is the time for lobbying’ as India seeks to isolate Pakistan – not only economically but also diplomatically.
Musharraf said that India wants to maintain hedge-money in the region as sees itself as an economic giant in the coming future – not only in the region but in the world.
“The Indian caucus in the US Senate is more vigilant and proactive. Pakistan needs to derive an effective strategy as well to counter this,” he said.
On the prevailing civil-military divide, the former president said that India had exploited this fault-line and ‘there has always been a rift between the army chiefs and the incumbent government’ – especially with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) government.
He views that General Raheel Sharif deserves an extension and said that he had previously rooted for General Raheel because ‘he is a popular army chief’.
“Pakistan comes first. The four candidates for the army chief’s slot are competent and patriotic officers. I’m sure they will serve the flag first and foremost,” he said.
Musharraf said that the only power that matters is ‘the power of the people’ and the Pakistani people need a change if they want a more honest and committed leadership as the current government has failed to address the common man’s issues.
He lashed out at the government and said that there is no check and balance and the government is exploiting this by using the state-owned machinery to intimidate bureaucracy, adding that ‘they sure know how to manipulate the judiciary and other sacred institutions for their own intents and purposes’.
