It would appear not
Former president Musharraf isn’t quite enamoured by the army chief anymore. Quite a shift from the days of wistful pride, when he used to say he was sure he had given the command of the army to an able, professional man. In fact, the transfer event itself had been pretty dramatic. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a formal ceremony: ordinarily, the outgoing chief works his full office hours on his last day and doesn’t go to office the next day; the new chief simply shows up for work the next day. The ceremony that did take place had plenty of ritualistic flourishes, with the incumbent stepping forward, taking the away the baton thrust towards him by the generalissimo; the latter might have died a little inside the moment he gave the command away, something that even the harshest detractors of General Kayani wouldn’t say would quite be the case when he retires.
All the goodwill seems to have changed. When an interviewer asked him about the wrongdoings in the businesses of General Kayani’s brother, he said he doesn’t say anything without having proper information (debatable) but that there is usually no smoke without fire.
On the other hand, he was all praise for the DG ISI, whom he called a straight-talker and a good human being. In fact, Mr Musharraf painted him to be a man’s man, someone you could rely on.
Keep in mind, that this interview was given before news of General Pasha not getting an extension came out.
Why the shift? Does the former president feel that perhaps the real centre of power in the country is now the spymaster, not his boss? This, despite his boss being a one-time occupant of the post himself? If so, this is a stark reminder of subcontinental power structures. Most people in rural Punjab circles know the story of the bright spark from the village who went to the city, cleared his exams, became a tehsildar and went back to the village; upon announcing the news, his uncle claimed that becoming a patwari (a tehsildar’s direct subordinate in a province’s land revenue cadre) would have been better.
Such is life in this neck of the woods.
