Pakistan’s former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has not yet spoken to the media after being granted bail. He is probably thinking whether he can play a role in the politics of the country. He has indicated his desire to take Pakistan out of the numerous crises and said he would not leave the country, although his lawyer has recently petitioned a court to allow him to leave so that he can meet his ailing mother.

Before joining politics, Gen. Musharraf should remember that no voices were raised in his favor while he was in detention in Islamabad. He should understand that we are a thankless nation. Just see what we did with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Z. A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. All of them had positive contributions in one way or the other.

Before Musharraf enters politics, he needs to consider the ground realities:

• Extremist politicians can be defeated if the ballot is fair as they are not popular among the people and are considered dangerous elements.

• The Pakistan People’s Party has now been confined to Sindh province and there is no scope of a remarkable turnaround in party’s popularity under the leadership of Asif Zardari.

• Imran Khan was seen as a clean and promising leader but he suffers from his own paradox. He is against the system in which he was raised. He can’t take the nation forward based on the past idealism as time has changed. More so, he has shown his inclination toward Talebanization, therefore, he is not likely to be considered as someone who can change the system.

• People of Punjab are more sincere compared to other entities in the country in terms of integrity of Pakistan but they are suffering from Punjabi syndrome and vote for Nawaz Sharif who has a corrupt past and is a visionless politician. He and his aides are unable to handle the current complex international and national situation, economic and security issues.

• Now, if Gen. Musharraf can challenge Sharif and dislodge him from Punjab, there will be chances of success. He can further garner support from the families of the armed forces who favor civilian leadership and whose involvement in the process will win the support of the armed forces. Karachi-based MQM, that does secular politics, and Tahirul Qadri, who is campaigning to root out corruption and to ensure good governance, can join hands with Musharraf in his endeavor to effect change.

Pakistan is facing a host of problems. God forbid, if the leadership crisis persists, there will be a complete disaster. Only leaders without agenda or vested interests can save Pakistan now. Musharraf can be one of them. — Muhammad Ali Chishty, Riyadh