What's new

Remembering Pervez Musharraf (1943-2023): A True Patriot Who Made Pakistan Stronger

RiazHaq

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Messages
6,611
Reaction score
70
Country
Pakistan
Location
United States

President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan passed away this week. May his soul rest in peace. Amen. He was a true patriot who honestly served his country to the best of his ability. He strengthened his country's economy, society and military. Per capita incomes of Pakistanis doubled on his watch, lifting the country from a low-income to a middle-income country. His government liberalized media and telecommunications, leading to rapid growth in both industries. President Musharraf dramatically accelerated his people's human development by investing heavily in education and healthcare. After what has transpired in recent years, most Pakistanis will remember his time in office as a golden age for the country.

President Pervez Musharraf 1943-2023

Higher education reform backed by huge increases in spending led to a large increase in college and university enrollment and graduation rates. He halved Pakistan's debt burden and doubled exports during his 8 years in office. Pakistan built up credible nuclear deterrence by ensuring development of a variety of nuclear-capable missiles of various ranges. Pakistan developed JF-17, its first indigenous fighter jet aircraft with China, and Pakistan Air Force started deploying it during Musharraf years. He negotiated upgrade of PAF F-16s and acquisition of dozens of new F-16s.

Pakistan Debt and Fiscal Deficit Trend 2000-2020
In 1999, President Pervez Musharraf inherited a massive debt of 100% of GDP run up by the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) governments in 1990s. Musharraf's policies not only revived the bankrupt economy but also brought down debt to 52% of GDP by 2007.

Pakistan Debt to GDP 1995-2021. Source: IMF


PPP Government's 2008 Letter to IMF:

In a letter to the International Monetary Fund in 2008, the PPP government hailed Musharraf's economic record without mentioning his name in the following words:

"Pakistan's economy witnessed a major economic transformation in the last decade (2000-2008). The country's real GDP increased from $60 billion to $170 billion, with per capita income rising from under $500 to over $1000 during 2000-07.....the volume of international trade increased from $20 billion to nearly $60 billion. The improved macroeconomic performance enabled Pakistan to re-enter the international capital markets in the mid-2000s. Large capital inflows financed the current account deficit and contributed to an increase in gross official reserves to $14.3 billion at end-June 2007. Buoyant output growth, low inflation, and the government's social policies contributed to a reduction in poverty and improvement in many social indicators". (see MEFP, November 20, 2008, Para 1).







Savings and Investments:

Domestic savings rate reached 18% of the GDP and foreign direct investment (FDI) hit a record level of $5.4 billion in 2007-8. This combination of domestic and foreign investments nearly tripled the size of the economy from $60 billion in 1999 to $170 billion in 2007, according to IMF. Exports nearly tripled from about $7 billion in 1999-2000 to $22 billion in 2007-2008, adding millions of more jobs. Pakistan was lifted from a poor, low-income country with per capita income of just $500 in 1999 to a middle-income country with per capita income exceeding $1000 in 2007.

FDI in Musharraf years came in many sectors, ranging from telecommunications to manufacturing.
Several mobile phone and Internet service operators built networks worth billions of dollars. Without this telecom infrastructure, there would be no tech industry, no freelancers and no fast-growing tech exports today.

New cement plants met growing demand that more than doubled cement consumption, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) sector took off to meet demand from growing middle class and production of cars and motorcycles jumped.




Human Capital Development:

In addition to the economic revival, Musharraf focused on the social sector as well. Pakistan's Human Development Index (HDI) score grew an average rate of 2.7% per year under President Musharraf from 2000 to 2007, and then its pace slowed to 0.7% per year in 2008 to 2012 under elected politicians, according to the 2013 Human Development Report titled “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World”.



Overall, Pakistan's human development score rose by 18.9% during the Musharraf years and increased just 3.4% under elected leadership since 2008. The news on the human development front got even worse in the last three years, with HDI growth slowing down as low as 0.59% — a paltry average annual increase of under 0.20 per cent. Going further back to the decade of 1990s when the civilian leadership of the country alternated between PML (N) and PPP, the increase in Pakistan's HDI was 9.3% from 1990 to 2000, less than half of the HDI gain of 18.9% on Musharraf's watch from 2000 to 2007.

Acceleration of HDI growth during Musharraf years was not an accident. Not only did Musharraf's policies accelerate economic growth, helped create 13 million new jobs, cut poverty in half and halved the country's total debt burden in the period from 2000 to 2007, his government also ensured significant investment and focus on education and health care. The annual budget for higher education increased from only Rs 500 million in 2000 to Rs 28 billion in 2008, to lay the foundations of the development of a strong knowledge economy, according to former education minister Dr. Ata ur Rehman. Student enrollment in universities increased from 270,000 to 900,000 and the number of universities and degree awarding institutions increased from 57 in 2000 to 137 by 2008. Government R&D spending jumped from 0.1% of GDP in 1999 to 0.7% of GDP in 2007. In 2011, a Pakistani government commission on education found that public funding for education has been cut from 2.5% of GDP in 2007 to just 1.5% - less than the annual subsidy given to the various PSUs including Pakistan Steel and PIA, both of which continue to sustain huge losses due to patronage-based hiring.

Pakistan textile exports more than doubled from $5.2 billion to more than $11 billion during the Musharraf years. Exports soared 19.43% in 2001, 20% in 2004, 24.5% in 2005 and 11.23% in 2006, all on President Musharraf's watch, according to "The Rise and Fall of Pakistan's Textile Industry: An Analytical View" published by Javed Memon, Abdul Aziz and Muhammad Qayyum.
Pakistan experienced rapid economic and human capital growth in years 2000 to 2008 on President Pervez Musharraf's watch. Savings, investments and exports hit new records and the rate of increase in human development reached new highs not seen before or since this period. Without this human capital, there would be no tech industry, no freelancers and no fast-growing tech exports today.
Pakistan's employment growth was the highest in South Asia region in 2000-2010, followed by Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka in that order, according to a World Bank report titled "More and Better Jobs in South Asia".

Comparing Per Capita GDP Trajectory in South Asia. Source: The Economist
Until 2010, Bangladesh was a laggard in South Asia region. Its per capita income was about half of Pakistan's. Now Bangladesh's per capita GDP is higher than both India's and Pakistan's. What changed? The biggest change is Bangladeshi leader Shaikh Hasina's decision to stifle the unruly Opposition and the media to bring political and economic stability to the South Asian nation of 160 million people. It has eliminated a constant sense of crisis and assured investors and businesses of continuity of government policies. With development taking precedence over democracy, Shaikh Hasina followed the example of Asian Tigers by focusing on export-led economic growth of her country. She incentivized the export-oriented garment industry and invested in human development. Bangladesh now outperforms India and Pakistan in a whole range of socioeconomic indicators: exports, economic growth, infant mortality rate, primary school enrollment, fertility rate and life expectancy.
Related Links:

Haq's Musings

South Asia Investor Review

Banner Year For Pakistani Tech Startups

Pakistan to Be World's 7th Largest Consumer Market By 2030

Sehat Card: Universal Healthcare in Pakistan

Textile Boom in Pakistan

Construction and Manufacturing Driving Pakistan's Recovery

Demographic Dividend and Record Remittances

Mobile Phone Manufacturing in Pakistan

Covid Crisis in India

Pakistan's COVID Handling

Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel

PakAlumni: Pakistani Social Network


 
He was a true patriot who honestly served his country to the best of his ability. He strengthened his country's economy, society and military. Per capita incomes of Pakistanis doubled on his watch, lifting the country from a low-income to a middle-income country. His government liberalized media and telecommunications, leading to rapid growth in both industries. President Musharraf dramatically accelerated his people's human development by investing heavily in education and healthcare.

That is only ONE side of the coin, selectively polished. The other side is not so shiny.
 
That is only ONE side of the coin, selectively polished. The other side is not so shiny.
In a country where only the negative side of the coin is discussed to tarnish, not a bad idea to talk up positives. To err is human...can't expect everyone to be a farishta like the Sharifs, Zardaris and Khan sahib.
 
In a country where only the negative side of the coin is discussed to tarnish, not a bad idea to talk up positives. To err is human...can't expect everyone to be a farishta like the Sharifs, Zardaris and Khan sahib.

Ah yes, the good old "create a positive narrative" refrain. It is working so well for Pakistan, as anyone can see, so please do carry on. :D

There are no farishtas in hell except Satan, or cleanliness in a sh1thole except relatively.
 
Last edited:
Ah yes, the good old "create a positive narrative" refrain. It is working so well for Pakistan, as anyone can see, so please do carry on. :D

There are no farishtas in hell except Satan, or cleanliness in a sh1thole except relatively.
It's not about "creating" a positive narrative. It is about writing what one, from their own perspective, believe was more important to highlight. You can have your opinion, appnay Riaz sahib can have his and I can certainly believe the good he did outweighed the bad. At the end of the day, it's just personal perspectives.
 
It's not about "creating" a positive narrative. It is about writing what one, from their own perspective, believe was more important to highlight. You can have your opinion, appnay Riaz sahib can have his and I can certainly believe the good he did outweighed the bad. At the end of the day, it's just personal perspectives.


That is a fair point, but personal perspectives can do only so much, either way. The legacy for the nation is what matters. And that is not so pretty, to be honest here, Sir.

As I asked previously:

Did he leave the country better off when he left power than when he assumed power, or not? That is his legacy, and no one can deny that either. The legacy is easy to see. Claims of patriotism are just that, and no more.
 
Last edited:
Thousands attend funeral of ex president of #Pakistan Pervez #Musharraf. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman Joint Chiefs, former army chiefs, Qamar Javed Bajwa & Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, several retired and serving officers attended. #Karachi

Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf was buried on Tuesday in his family’s hometown, the southern port city of Karachi, a day after a special plane transported his body from the United Arab Emirates where he died at the weekend.

About 2,500 mourners, including Musharraf’s family and relatives; senior politicians and retired and serving military officials, attended the funeral at a military cemetery inside a high-security area in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province.

Mr Musharraf, who died at age 79, seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 by ousting the elected government of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose younger brother Shahbaz Sharif is now the country’s prime minister.

Amir Muqam, a senior leader from Sharif’s party, attended the funeral. Musharraf’s coffin was draped in the national flag in a sign of respect, though the ceremony was not a state funeral.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and former army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, also attended.

“General Pervez Musharraf always put the interests of Pakistan first, and he even put his life at risk by waging a war against militancy,” Moinuddin Haider, a retired army general, told reporters.

Several politicians and government officials also paid glowing tributes to Mr Musharraf.

During his tenure as president, Mr Musharraf made Pakistan a key ally of Washington in the war on terror after the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States.

That angered Pakistani and foreign militants who at least twice tried to assassinate him in the city of Rawalpindi in 2003, but he escaped unhurt.

Mr Musharraf lost his grip on power in 2008 when the party of the former president, Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan People’s Party, defeated his long-time political allies in parliamentary elections.

Mr Zardari later forced him to resign. The new government instigated a treason case against Mr Musharraf — but allowed him to leave the country on bail to travel to Dubai in the UAE in 2016 for medical treatment while the proceedings were underway.

Mr Musharraf remained in Dubai after being sentenced to death for treason at home in 2019, although the death penalty was later overturned by another court.

However, prime pinister Sharif’s government last year said Mr Musharraf would not be arrested if his family wanted to bring him back home.

But Mr Musharraf’s doctors and his family said adequate medical treatment for him was unavailable in Pakistan.
 
Musharraf's story is not yet fairly written and his legacy will be established by history. "Some people are born posthumously". F. Nietzsche.

Many things he did before his fall started in 2007 are still alive and helping Pakistan and will continue to help Pakistan. Members here have been pointing out his positive deeds. I have a generally very positive opinion of him even though I have pointed out some of his major follies on this forum.

Musharraf could have done a lot more for Pakistan if time was allowed. But in my opinion, he was cursed by having to do the cleanup of the Zia ul Haq era, especially the 'blowback' from the Pakistan's involvement in the US-USSR proxy war in Afghanistan. The blowback was bound to happen; I remember seeing an article written in 1982 (?) by P. Hoodbhoy where he predicted that the Jihadis being raised by the Pakistani State then will one day hurt Pakistan. What prophetic words!!
 
The country is still reeling from his wrong decisions. Its not patriotism. When you are at the top and one man making decisions, you are also responsible.

It was his decisions because of which Pakistan is still fighting terrorism. Pakistan and India were still treated equal when he took over. India is now so far ahead, we cant even dream of reaching there. We were fighting foreign war for a few dollars. Our economy was strong for 5 years as Bush administration was providing direct $300 million in budgetary support. There was no large scale manufacturing. There were no new investments because the world considered us as war zone. We were proudly parading around the world with 'frontline against terrorism' badge.

Musharraf policies isolated Pakistan. We need to integrated with the world like normal countries. And we will become normal once we get rid of our low IQ generals and their stooges.

I still have a positive view of Musharraf. He was a good man. But every martial law leaves in its wake destruction for the country.
 
As far as the economy goes, it’s laughable that people want to talk about Musharraf by talking about how he left the country.

Frankly, you had the chors before him, you had the chors after him. For a brief period of 8 years or so, he showed you how much economic progress could be made if you sidelined these chors.

It’s not his fault that the Pakistani warm voted in Mr ten percent after him and he fucked up the economy and all the progress after him. Anyone who cannot see the public debt numbers drop, the growth numbers, the gdp numbers, that this was the only time that our SOEs were making profits, what sort of reasoning are you using.

As far as this argument that dollars were coming in, news flash, they continued to come in after him to both Zardari and Sharif. What happened there? Where was the stellar growth?

Give the man his due. He handled the economy really well. He had good ministers in place for that. The country progressed.

You can disagree with his political, legal legacy, security legacy. Heck I dislike his liberal opinions, and the fact that he waged Americas war in Afg. But anyone with half a brain can see, he did well for the economy.

Incidentally, I now believe that Musharraf was the last time that the establishment could have claimed to be competent. The tragedy is that, it is not the lawyers movement or anyone else that brought him down, but Kayani who backstabbed him.
 
Just because of NRO he will be remembered as the person who delivered Pakistan to the bloody hounds.
May he never find peace.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom