A Dictaror is one animal who needs to be caged: ZAB

The dictator is the one animal who needs to be caged; He betrays his profession and his constitution. He betrays the people and destroys human values. He destroys culture. He binds the youth. He makes the structure collapse. He rules by fluke and freak. He is the scourge and the ogre. He is a leper. Anyone who touches him also becomes a leper. He is the upstart who is devoid of ideals and ideology. Not a single one of them has made a moment’s contribution to history - ZAB

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto a controversial, mercurial, enigmatic, charismatic, politician who himself was killed by Pakistan Army and a American backed Dictator General Zia ul Haq; 30 Years after his death, continues to talk to Pakistan.

After prolonged deliberations, Pakistan’s major political parties which form the ruling collation has decided to move an impeachment motion against self styled ‘President’ and American backed dictator of Pakistan, this must not be a surprise that weak and undeceive political leadership which has faced media-trials, character assassination campaigns by agencies, prisons and exiles have gathered the courage to stand against powerful establishment and a dictator who still holds the power to dissolve the parliament, as, at a certain stage democratic government are unable to take the public pressure and take decisions to avoid the public hostility, despite the fact that these political parties are deteriorating and lack the visionary leader ship because of continuous military rules which survives on destruction of political institutions.But the real surprised came moments after the collation parties announced their decision to impeach the dictator in a press conference. “Musharraff’s impeachment is an internal affair of Pakistan’, United States of America responded. Historically, US administrations have never been willing to review their foreign policy towards a nation where they have an economic interest or political, geo-military strategic and ideological reasons, no matter what heinous crimes were being committed or detrimental socio-economic policies were being implemented by their puppet dictators, and despite massive protests by the people of the country in question against such dictators the US continued financing and supporting them, the criminal silence of US government on imposition of emergency and dismissal of superior judiciary by General Musharraff is prime example of dictatorship friendly policies of United States.

For decades, the United States has backed the military dictators who have ruled Pakistan. Whether in the name of containing Communism or fighting terrorism, the well-being of the people of the sixth most populated country in the world has been of little concern to Washington policy makers, despite his well-documented human rights abuses, destruction of judicial institutions, torture and kidnapping of journalists, brutal use of force against civil society and lawyers, the Pakistani general, a butcher for his own people and a pet for US has been repeatedly praised by America’s political, academic, and media elites in past. Bush had commended Musharraff’s “courage and vision” while Negroponte told the recent House panel that the dictator was “a committed individual working very hard in the service of his country.” and US has a history of setting up and backing corrupt dictators to serve her agenda, Shah of Iran, Saddam, Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Suharto, and Osama Bin Laden, not to mention many South American countries and Middle East, all of them were ‘reliable US allies’ at some point of time.

People of Pakistan clearly understand that the United States shares responsibility for their repression through its unconditional support of the Army dictatorship that denies them their own freedom, the U.S. government’s problem with Pakistan is similar to the one it had with Iran in 1979. The U.S. government placed Iranian Shah in power, which extinguished the rising flames of democracy which resulted in a populist Islamic revolution and extreme anti-American sentiment. Iranian Shah who was equally faithful to God Almighty and US, “I OWE my throne to God, my people, my army - and to you,” sobbed a grateful Shah of Iran to Kermit Roosevelt in August 1953, he massacred thousands of Iranians to prove his loyalty to US and while facing a revolution against him, the Shah of Iran sought help from the United States, Iran occupied a strategic place in U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, acting as an island of stability and a buffer against Soviet penetration into the region, the Shah was told that the United States would “back him to the hilt.” At the same time, certain high-level officials in the State Department decided that the Shah had to go, regardless of who replaced him, once ousted Shah traveled from country to country for a shelter, after a short stay for his treatment in US, he was told to leave the country.

“I don’t panic, I am not scared. I have faced death many times. Last time was when I was 7 minutes away from death on Oct 12 1999. I am only scared of God. God has brought me to this point. God has chosen me for leading this country. He will protect and help me.” Musharraff a brutal dictator describes his vision and mission claiming to be chosen by God just ten days after he dismissed a government chosen by people of Pakistan.

To be chosen by God is clearly different form being chosen by CIA and backed by a powerful imperialist state which can push smaller and less powerful countries in to economic and military collapse, whose president claimed that he was “told” by God to attack Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein, once a reliable ally of United States. The shift in US policy clearly indicates that policymakers in Washington has realized the intensity of hatred they have earned by backing another dictator in Pakistan and want to avoid a backlash similar to their foreign policy failure in Iran.

The decision of impeachment of Musharraff seems to be taken after US has decided to pull back its support; the outcome of impeachment motion will be subject to his ability to re-negotiate terms with Washington, however as history suggests that once a dictator becomes a responsibility, US is going to treat him like Shah of Iran.

Will Musharraff be able to get shelter in US, after he is ousted is not difficult to imagine, most probably he will become another Shah of Iran, another leper, no body is willing to touch a leper. A painful example for other US backed dictators.The dictator is the one animal who needs to be caged, this is time for Musharraff, others will follow him!