Reporting sick

Whenever the court summons Pervez Musharraf to appear before it, he falls sick. In the army, it’s known as ‘reporting sick’. The latest is that he has reported sick with problem of back pain. I grew up in Lalamusa, a town near military cantonment – Kharian. So I heard the term ‘reporting sick’ in my childhood. However, if someone reports sick on flimsy grounds, he is treated as a ‘dodger’ or a ‘malingerer’. Thus, the malingerer instead of getting leave to rest at home is punished for telling a lie about his health. How funny it is that every time the court calls Musharraf, he develops some kind of a pain in the body and ducks appearance. The court knows that Musharraf is dodging; Musharraf knows that the court knows he is dodging yet nothing happens. Initially, there was some suspense when the court summoned Musharraf – whether he would present himself in the court or not. Now everyone knows he would report sick. What to do? I suggest he should be allowed to go abroad for treatment on the condition that he never returns. Pinochet spent long years out of Chile. Musharraf can follow suit.

DR A P SANGDIL

Oslo, Norway