Gen Musharraf’s return to the country has posed new problems for his benefactors, the Americans. On his behest, his supporters have approached Washington to ensure that the former dictator, who served American interests assiduously when in power, is not arrested on arrival in the country. There’s a long list of demands Mush has made to the Americans to take care of him. Before returning, he intends meeting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Saudi intelligence chief, King of Jordan, and Hillary Clinton to pave the way of his smooth return to the country.
As it is, America has become extremely unpopular in the Muslim world, especially in Pakistan where public angst against it is at the peak because of its frequent drone strikes that kill innocent Pakistanis. To protect one of their former proxies would be hard for the Yanks. In fact, Mush has cleverly put them to test by playing a mischief on them: if you don’t protect me, nobody in future would act as your puppet. Take your pick. It is a hard decision for the Yanks as they need puppets in all Muslim countries.
That’s not all, even if all security arrangements are in place for Mush at government level, who will protect him from angry kin of those he sold for bounty? There was time when Mush sold people for bounty and now he has bounty of a billion on his own head.
DR A P SANGDIL
Oslo, Norway
