Sometimes, I am glad that the President I live under is George W. Bush, rather than Pervez Musharraf. Here is an interview of Pakistan’s President-General with the Washington Post.
Musharraf said he had “totally turned around Pakistan” and had made key advances in fostering democracy, including protecting freedom of the press, empowering local government, improving the position of women in society and giving greater representation to minorities.
“Leave the developing world aside; I think we are better than all of them,” Musharraf declared. “Bring the developed world and let us compare Pakistan’s record, under me, a uniformed man, with many of the developed countries. I challenge that we will be better off.”
Well, this part shows Musharraf as living in bizzaro-universe, sort of like the Bush administration. Also, note that Musharraf claims to have improved the position of women in society, a claim belied by what comes next.
Musharraf also became animated when he spoke about the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old illiterate woman who spoke publicly about having been gang-raped on the orders of village council in 2002. Mai, bucking taboos, won public sympathy and government support after she demanded that the men be charged and convicted. But earlier this year Musharraf earned the ire of the Bush administration when he blocked her from traveling to the United States to publicize the case.
Musharraf said that Mai was free to travel now — though she has never left Pakistan — and that he had no regrets about how he handled the incident. He said Mai had come under the sway of organizations determined to harm Pakistan’s image and he did not think Pakistan “should be singled out when the curse is everywhere in the world.” He noted he had seen reports or figures about rape in the United States, Canada, France and Britain showing that “it is happening everywhere.”
There is a difference though. Rape is unfortunately too common around the world. But gang rape is less so. And gang rape by village authorities even less so. Plus rape is usually reported to the police here and prosecuted. The victim is provided help of all sorts.
“You must understand the environment in Pakistan,” Musharraf added. “This has become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.”
I am speechless. Well, almost. My reply to the General is in the title of this post. May be he’ll enjoy the riches as well as life in Canada!
UPDATE: More Musharraf fun:
Pandemonium broke out at a meeting organized to promote Pakistan’s soft image when after a confrontation with human rights activists an irate President Pervez Musharraf declared that those who opposed his policies were the enemies of Pakistan.
“You are against me and Pakistan,” said the president when a human rights activist referred to his alleged comments in a Washington Post interview which quoted him (Gen Musharraf) as saying that women exploited rape to get visas.
Provoked by a single question, the president allowed an event held to promote his government’s pro-women policies to degenerate into a bout between himself and part of the invited audience.
“I am a fighter, I will fight you. I do not give up and if you can shout, I can shout louder,” said Gen Musharraf.
UPDATE II: Here’s the audio of Musharraf’s Washington Post interview. Notice the conflation of “me” and “Pakistan” by Musharraf. L’etat c’est moi, as Louis XIV is supposed to have said.
انصاف کرو!
ہمارے صدر صاحب امریکہ میں واشنگٹن پوسٹ سے انٹرویو میں کہہ بیٹھے ہیں کہ “پاکستان میں لوگ یہ کہہ رہے ہیں کہ اگر کوئی بلینائر ہونا چاہتا ہے …
I would not agree to Musharraf or for that matter any dictator when he comes on stage and tries to tell us that he has improved th epolitical situation in Pakistan. that statement is fundamentally wrong. but if you sit in his seat and start analyzing his statements they would seem less funny to you. coonsidering he is a dictator and is sorrounded by phonies who keep on telling him that all is well and all that he is doing is going to take this country right out of any mess i think he believes in what he is saying and it is not so his fault than the people around him.
again in the case of Mukhtaran Mai wouldnt you give him a little break. yes it was a blunder. This is a henious crime. I am ashamed and so should the rest of my nation be. but the way i see it is that for me rape is bad be it in any shape. secondly my personal feeling is that Mukhtaran’s struggle initially was rightly done but eventually it boiled down to a media emberrasement for this cvountry. she even has a website on the internet i mean what the hell. CNN showed a ten minute clip in prime time on her plight. How many rape stories does CNN cover with such interest in the rest of the cases. there is definitely mischief involved.
Having said all this i in no way appreciate the dictator nor do i mean to under play the plight of Mai.
I used to think that Musharraf was just a very misinformed and very misguided dictator,… but now it seems he is also big fat liar. Read the WaPo’s response to Musharraf’s claims that he’s been misquoted:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091800554.html
According to the report he also suggested that Dr Shazia Khalid may be in it for the money:
“Dr. Shazia, I don’t know. But maybe she’s a case of money, that she wants to make money. She is again talking all against Pakistan, against whatever we’ve done. But I know what the realities are.”
He talks about the image of Pakistan being spoiled abroad… I don’t think any of the rape victims or the NGOs have tarnished Pakistan’s image as much as he has in this visit to the US.
Moiz:
While the people around him share some of the blame, ultimately the buck stops at Musharraf’s desk.
Rape is definitely bad. Gang rape is worse. Gang rape by the village panchayat even worse. No justice pretty bad again. Add it all up and what do you get?
Horror of horrors, she has a website! That is bad! Wait a minute, I have one too. What kind of publicity do I want?
Again, how many rapes have all kinds of ingredients which make them big media stories like Mukhtar Mai’s did? You are saying CNN did a 10 minute special on it, but CNN did hundreds of minutes of coverage of some high school student who disappeared in Aruba.
chanad: Agreed.
His comments to Washington Post infuriated me and he added fuel to the fire by later denying that he ever said it on CNN – all I can say F#$% off – he deserve a royal boot in the ass for literally raping pakistan in front of the world. Shazias case was a big cover up – people are not stupid it would have blown up in his face if he had not bribed the victim out of pakistan before the judgment. Guilty Guilty
Salaam ‘Alaikum
Mukhtar Mai has a website primarily to raise funds for the many wonderful projects she has fostered in her village: schools for boys and girls (including the children of her rapists), an ambulance service, clinics, a shelter. Why shouldn’t this woman raise funds for these noble projects using whatever means are available to her?
UmmZaid: Agreed. And thanks for pointing that out.
Zack, would you be interested in helping out on a little project about a certain insensitive jerk?
raven: I am definitely interested in the insensitive jerk.
Musharraf’s comment, “You are against me and Pakistan” is so typical of dictators. What makes him think that Musharraf and Pakistan are synonymous? Can’t someone be against Musharraf, yet be pro-Pakistan? Or worse, be pro-Musharraf and anti-Pakistan at the same time?
Fayyaz: Definitely.
In 1993 my family members were brutualy killed and a women(housemate) was reped my MQM.
I had to move to Dubai and than to USA to save my life. Karachi is a city run by savages.
Now it is time to tell people how cruel MQM is. My home was also taken over by MQM.
I have few pictures and property documents which I am giving it to press.