Musharraf's speech strikes just the right chord

The Statesman, Asia News Network, Calcutta

General Pervez Musharraf's virtuoso performance on Saturday night was aimed at two distinct audiences, one domestic, the other foreign. It was cleared in advance by the Americans, the precaution had the advantage of ensuring Colin Powell's advice to India even before Musharraf opened his mouth and Tony Blair following up immediately after the pre-censored version was delivered, to ask India to open a dialog with Pakistan on the basis of what Musharraf said.

Blair would be better advised to downsize his self-imposed international role and concentrate on the Irish question, which seems to be coming apart again despite his efforts. Musharraf was genuinely concerned over the sectarian violence within Pakistani society between Shias and Sunnis and seemed to blame Zia-ul-Haq for it, which may not be entirely undeserved.

He refrained from mentioning how the establishment treats those it considers to be lesser Muslims. The crackdown on militants, which is for real is directed principally at those who perpetrate such domestic violence, not at all with its export to Kashmir and India.

On the contrary he stiffened his repeated resolve to help the struggle of the Kashmiris with moral, diplomatic and principled support. In fact he has moved the two Pakistan led formations Jaish and Toiba to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as we have noted earlier and therefore it was safe for him to be seen on television putting locks on their no longer used offices in Karachi.

Musharraf wants all madrassas (religious schools) in the country to register with the government and reform their curriculum, to include the study of science and technology, not merely turning out half-baked mullahs taught only the Koran. Acknowledging the role of mosques in fomenting domestic violence, he wants all mosques to register with government and no new ones to come up without government approval.

This was an extraordinary and courageous decision. In time it should have an effect on Pakistan escaping from the preoccupation with religion and Kashmir but this will take time.

His blunt message to Vajpayee was no more than a bow to domestic opinion, as was the ringing statement that not a single Pakistani will be handed over as India demands. The list of 20 includes 15 who hold Indian nationality but serve Pakistan's purpose abroad and are based in Pakistan; he said nothing of them. The Americans should be nudging him to comply.

Having forcibly taken first 20 and now another 30 al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists from Afghanistan in chains to detention camps in an American base in Cuba, Donald Rumsfeld correctly refused to regard them as covered under the Geneva Conventions relating to prisoners of war. He rightly called them irregular combatants. The same argument applies to terrorists who take shelter in Pakistan and may or may not be Pakistani nationals. Let Musharraf start with non-Pakistani nationals, the rest can follow.

Notably absent from the hour-long performance was any reference to Ataturk. Somebody must have told our wily friend that such a comparison would offend the Turks. His commitment to democracy was so strong that in later years he asked his principal lieutenant Ismet Innonu to leave him and form an opposition party. A tearful Innonu complied and Turkey became a democracy.

Has the Pakistani president got the stomach for it or will parrot Pervez continue with "Kashmir, Kashmir Kashmir?"