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Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005

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Opinion - News Analysis

A tale of two Generals

Harish Khare

Pervez Musharraf of 2005 might have been different from the General of four years ago, but India will prefer to judge him by his deeds.

"A CONSUMMATE politician in a General's uniform." That is how a senior Indian policy-maker assessed the General Pervez Musharraf of April 2005. This policy-maker, who was very much involved in the negotiations over the last three days with the General and his aides, confessed that the General came across differently.

The general assessment is that it was an altogether different General Musharraf from the man who travelled to Agra, four years ago. Those who saw him perform publicly as well as interacted with him in private attest that the serrated edge was gone, though the sharpness was unmistakably intact.

General Pervez Musharraf of 2001 was very much a commando; an impatient man, a soldier comfortable with the power of the gun, a man used to having his way and making others see his way or risk his displeasure. The General who travelled to Agra was only 18 months into the top job and the only experience he had of dealing with (Pakistani) politicians was from a position of strength. At Agra he ran into a group of politicians who were neither impressed with his army fatigues nor with his implied threat of use of force if he did not get what he wanted.

The man who came from Islamabad this week was a man who has learnt the hard way the limits of power. The old adage is that absolute power corrupts absolutely; but in the modern world, absolute power also tempers. A wise leader is one who knows what can — and, more importantly, cannot — be accomplished by the use of, or threat of use of, power. Since Agra, President Musharraf has had a mixed experience, especially since "9-11", in dealing with the demands of a very demanding United States as well as in coping with intractable "rogue elements" within and outside the Pakistani establishment.

"He is not a Zia-ul-Haq," opined the senior Indian policy-maker. As President, "Zia was totally bogus in his approach to issues." But the Indian official also hastened to add: "The General is not a peacenik either. But you can do business with him."

Most interestingly, beginning with his remarks at the Prime Minister's dinner on Saturday, the General of 2005 talked of "aspirations" of the people of India and Pakistan, how these aspirations were beckoning the leaders of the two countries. He was tapping a new source of legitimacy for what he was trying to accomplish. In a rather subtle way the General elegantly sidestepped the old trap; shifting the focus from the "blood of martyrs" in Kashmir to popular "aspirations."

It was no surprise that the General chose to make a courtesy call on the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This was a gesture that only a consummate politician can make. That he of all people should appreciate that Mr. Vajpayee would be crucial to the consensus that Dr. Manmohan Singh needs to graft if there has to be movement forward towards a "final settlement."

New Delhi may have seen two Generals, one of 2001 and another of 2005. But the bottom-line remains unchanged: India will judge him by his deeds rather than by his words.

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