Our country has the honour of having been ruled by the dictators of many shades so far.

But his profile seems to have drawn more contrasts,Hope you agree ????

I have to admit, I’ve never come across someone like Pervez Musharraf. This is not necessarily a compliment. It’s simply a statement of fact.
But think about it — he’s a former dictator who revels in free speech much like a dedicated democrat; he’s a general who is, amazingly enough, also a gripping orator; he’s a stern disciplinarian but he has a winning sense of humour; he projects a tough commando exterior but his clothes reveal a sharp sense of sartorial elegance.

Indeed, he’s a man of so many apparent paradoxes, he’s impossible to define.

Last Saturday, as he held the India Today Conclave spellbound for over two and a half hours, my mind jumped to our own politicians and I couldn’t help compare Musharraf to them. Would Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi or LK Advani and Prakash Karat willingly submit themselves to such hostile questioning from an Indian audience and emerge both unscathed and with their amour propre intact?

The question answers itself. Yet Musharraf has done just that but with one critical difference. The audience — the lions’ den — he faced was not his compatriots but Indians, who could be more accurately described as his enemies.

In contrast, it’s not just impossible to picture Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi addressing 500 Pakistanis in the banquet hall of the Marriott in Islamabad; the fact of the matter is they are not even prepared to visit the country. And I would hate to think what could happen if they were questioned the way Musharraf was. Perish the thought!

However, the truth is Musharraf illustrates a deeper difference between India and Pakistan. Pakistanis make themselves accessible to us — be it phone-in interviews on television, formal addresses at conclaves and conferences or simply informal off-the-record chats. We, on the other hand, avoid such encounters like the plague.

It’s not simply that Pakistani politicians don’t hesitate to give Indians interviews. It’s also the sheer number of them. Musharraf, alone, probably gave half a dozen. Prannoy Roy and I got two each. Both he and Asif Zardari have addressed large gatherings in India live via satellite whilst in office and Benazir Bhutto was a frequent visitor and a favourite of our news channels. I don’t think there is even one she said no to. In fact, on one particular occasion she gave Aaj Tak two on the same day because the interviewer lost the tapes within minutes of obtaining the first!

In contrast, with the exception of LK Advani, I don’t think a single leading Indian politician has given the Pakistani media an interview. In fact, I’m prepared to bet that most would not even be prepared to meet them! Again, Advani is the exception. However, Musharraf exemplifies a further quality our politicians would do well to emulate. He’s prepared to face up to his critics, take their hostile questions and spend hours defending his position whilst attempting to change theirs.

We may not agree with his arguments and often we disapprove of his tough language but it’s impossible not to admire his courage and be impressed by his performance. You may walk away from a Musharraf encounter put off by his personality but, despite that, you also know you’ve just met a very special man. That’s why Musharraf has fans in India and not just foes.

Sadly, many of our politicians refuse to face their critics. Indeed, some can even run away from their friends! The problem is they’re not prepared to pit their arguments against challenges. So rarely, if ever, do we see them under pressure, fighting to prove their point, fending off counter-arguments and winning respect for standing their ground.

Yet the paradox is politicians usually grow from such encounters. Musharraf did and still does. But if you shelter yourself from them you appear bonzai and shrunken. That’s why ours lose out. Five weeks from a national election, I doubt if any of our politicians will heed this advice. But I’m prepared to wager that if one does he or she will win laurels. After all, fortune favours the brave!

The Mr.Karan Thapar,the writer is one of India’s leading television commentators and interviewers”

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Thanks & Regards,

Courage and resilience are admirable traits! should these supercede our ability to think or sense of responsibility? I wonder!

Regarding what the Russians did with the siege of the theatre in Moscow or the school - you might wish to refresh your memory - they destroyed the culprits with maximum brutal force without consideration of ‘collateral damage’ which was significant. Let’s not compare apples with bananas. Would you rather have their system here? Should we swap Zardari for Putin?

Let’s stop talking about all those horible people who were hiding in a mosque and converted a holy place into a terrorist den. Indeed, Musharraf was much to civil, he did lack the ‘killer instinct’ of a ‘ruthless dictator’ - that’s the reason the government of that time tried its very very best to convince and talk some sense into the minds of those Terrorist Mullahs, possesed by demonic tyranical mind set. Yes, it was too much of patience and too democratic. You will be better informed if you could take a litle more interest and check out what the ‘civil society’ and the ‘media’ was demanding and lecturing the then government about the matter.

I will rather not comment about the once fired for corruption and now ‘newly restored’ CJ and his courage!

Tipu : You better read the beautiful delineation of my previous comments by Mr. Aftab Alam…..There can’t be, and must never be any feelings of sympathy for any terrorist, particularly those terrorist Mullahs who occupy and misuse our places of worship, and kill in the name of religion. THIS CAN NEVER BE TOLERATED.

Musharraf may have been a despotic dictator, yet his decision to use force against the terrorist Mullahs who had occupied Lal Masjid, was the decision that any government in the world might have taken, when faced with such a situation. It was the last choice for the government to establish its writ. I believe that had Musharraf used force at an earlier stage of that crisis, the murder of innocent children at the hands of terrorist Mullahs could have been averted, as there’s a proverb : NIP THE EVIL IN THE BUD.

Yes the people of Pakistan know very well that the terrorist Mullahs are responsible for murdering so many innocent children. Didn’t you watch the video footage on various tv channels of that bloody terrorist Mullah escaping in a burqa?

Jab Baiti dair say ghar aye, aur bahar Pistol wala hai
Jab mushkil Taj aur Takhat huey, aur samnay takhat or takhta hai
Jab Khawab ki batain khawab huen
Jab dhamki ho lachari ho, Phir koun jo Himmat wala hai

Ab sar pay Khoff kay sai hain
Sub janta houn, aur darta houn, bus sahma sahma rahta houn
Jab loogon nay nara mara, Josh main wada kar dala
Aifaiy ahad ab kion kar ho, mushkill main Opar wala hai

Jism o Jaan ki baat na kar, waqat apna barbad na kar
Bol kay lab azad hain ab teray
Kuch sanghy Sathi saath hain teray
Kuch abray karan ki barish hai, dekho wo Jiala hai, yeh ulfat karnay wala hai

saeed khan
March 28, 2009

2.Tanzeel ! if man has courage let us praise him ,u tell me why not Dogar did this ,why not Irshad ,why not Naseem ,why not Muneer? dont be jealous.

3.Hassan ! People of this country know well who is the culprit of LAL MASJID massacre, a uniformed President cannot be allowed to murder innocent children in any country,i am not supporting mullahs but u tell me did Russians also bombarded the school when terrorists made hostages or they employed other means to save as many lives as possible. Do u think murderer of innocent people should be pardoned ,no will never do this ,he will be brought to justice.

4.Nazia ! yes ,we should have resilience and indomitable courage.

If anything I wish to see all the big “fish” exposed who provided protection and encouragement to those two ’sickos’ brothers, I wish the left overs be prosecuted and punished as per laws of our country. We must eradicate all the terrorists from among us, no matter where they are be it in the mosques, muddarsahs, schools, parliaments, ministries, political parties any where - get them exposed they are not our friends they are killers of innocent people including muslims.

Furthermore, your advice # 2 to CJ on Lal Masjid issue is really ALARMING, more appropriately, OUTRAGEOUS, since that case is already closed, with major culprits either killed in the anti-terrorism action or in prison, facing charges in anti-terrorist courts. The very terrorists who took the innocent children hostage for weeks were the Lal Masjid Mullahs. In fact these terrorists not only held the children against their will, but also subsequently used them as human shields. And not only this, but a number of our Pak Army soldiers were martyred in the fight against these Mullah terrorists.

One of these Mullah Terrorists was killed by security forces and the other was caught, while escaping in a ‘Burqa’. All of us have seen that footage on TV. Such a shame for that bloody terrorist! He is still facing terrorism charges in courts and I’m of the view that this terrorist Mullah should be hanged publically with copper wire, so as to make an example for all those who challenge the writ of the state.

Its really SHOCKING to note that even educated people like you can sympathize with the bloody terrorists, responsible for Lal Masjid incident.

How can you forget the sacrifices that our Pak Army soldiers have made in the fight against terrorism? How can you forget the countless innocent Pakistanis who have been brutally murdered by terrorists/extremists who share the same evil mindset as that of the terrorist Mullahs responsible for Lal Masjid incident. How can you forget the great sacrifice of our great democratic leader, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who was assasinated by the same terrorists?

I’m not a fan of ex-president Musharraf, but I, like majority of Pakistanis feel that the Army action against the Lal Masjid terrorists was a necessity, a natural response of any government whose writ is challenged by a bunch of terrorists. Even Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, supported the Army action against the terrorists at that time.

And it were the terrorist Mullahs who are responsible for the murder of innocent poor children because these Mullahs kept the children hostage and used them as human shields.