April 20, 2013, 8:09 pm
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, April 20: Even though the Indian government has refrained from commenting on Gen Pervez Musharraf’s arrest and remand to fortnight-long judicial custody by an anti-terrorist court in Islamabad today, the newspapers here have widely welcomed the former Pakistan military dictator’s plight.
"He is now history, or maybe a silly and sad chapter in it, or maybe even a footnote," declared Shekhar Gupta, chief editor of The Indian Express, in his column today.
"Worse, in some ways, than the mouse that roared, only because he was so stupid as to confuse usurped dictatorial power with popularity, the usual darbari sychophancy for adulation, and the post-9/11 caressing of his tail by the Americans as a certificate of global statesmanship. That is why he made the mistake of returning to Pakistan and, unwittingly, gave his countrymen the opportunity to ask some really serious questions."
Gupta even put forth a likely three-point chargesheet for prosecuting the disgraced general.
One: that Musharraf carried out the Kargil operation behind the back of his constitutionally established government, lost tactically and strategically as his army had to retreat, and the global community sanctified the line of control between India and Pakistan in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Two: that he overthrew a legitimate, elected government with a vast majority and then subverted all institutions, not just the judiciary.
And three: that, through his recklessness, he brought the Indian subcontinent clost to an all-out war at least twice (Kargil and the post-Parliament House attack).
The Times of India greeted Musharraf’s arrest as a Whiff of Pakistani Spring and said it represents a watershed in Pakistani history. Until now, never before has a Pakistani military ruler been made to answer for subverting democracy. That Musharraf now faces three cases bears testimony to Pakistan’s maturing democracy.
"It is a clear sign that Pakistan’s civilian institutions are becoming more confident and are no longer subservient to the military-intelligence establishment," the daily editorialised.
The treatment meted out to Musharraf upon his return from self-imposed exile is symbolic of "a new awakening in Pakistan. Much like the Arab Spring movement in the Middle East and North Africa, there is a clear push for making Pakistan’s democracy irreversible.
"No longer can the people of Pakistan be taken for granted. In letting the law of the land take its course on Musharraf, Pakistan has shown its determination to move forward," the daily added.
The Hindustan Times wrote: "What is more impressive is the seeming quiscence of the military to at least the arrest, and the spine showed by the judiciary in even going this far. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will allow it to go any further, but this is already a historic development.
"It has been clear for long that the military was itself the primary source of Pakistan’s instability through its support for militancy and deliberate undermining of every civilian institution in the country. The first step towards correcting that is to force the army back into the baracks and arresting Musharraf is a strong symbol of that being a real possibility."
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