‘There was no room for voicing a difference of opinion during the Sharif tenure and things were handled mostly by the two brothers. In contrast, Musharraf and Shaukat lend an attentive ear,’ says Sheikh Rashid Ahmad while discussing his presence on either side of the divide
THE government’s chief spokesman, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, says he is perhaps the first information minister of the country in the last five decades who keeps himself well-informed, adding that he participates in policy-making discussions with top military and civilian authorities, something which was not the norm during his association with Mian Nawaz Sharif.
In an exclusive interview with Dawn Magazine, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said since he served as the information minister in the Nawaz Sharif government as well, President Pervez Musharraf wanted him to be there to “effectively project” the political and socio-economic policies of the government.
The following are the excerpts:
Q. How would you compare your performance as information minister now and during the Sharif government?
A. Today I am sitting alongside the policy-makers, which never happened when Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were at the helm of affairs. In my previous term, things were not that difficult to handle, especially when the Mian brothers had their own separate publicity wings. But this time things are quite difficult to handle, as I have been given a free hand by the president and nobody interferes in my work. My opinion is given a lot of importance which is contrary to my experience with the Sharifs.
Today I am more informed than anybody else about issues related to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Afghanistan, religious and sectarian parties and others. Previously, the opposition was not as tough as it is today. There was no MMA phenomenon and no PPP-PML(N) nexus. In the Sharif government I was not clear about many things, the reason being that I was never consulted. But this time, I am glad to tell you that no important meeting takes place without my participation, and I’m told about each and every detail — mostly by the president himself.
There was no room for voicing a difference of opinion during the Sharif tenure and things were handled mostly by the two brothers. But now the president and the prime minister lend an attentive ear to me, and invariably accept my opinion on various political issues.
Q. Do you think that President Musharraf really wants freedom of press and does not get perturbed by independent reporting by the print and electronic media?
A. Even our worst critics say that the kind of freedom that the media today enjoys was not there ever before. You can see for yourself that even on the state-controlled electronic media, people speak out against the policies of the government, and the president accepts it and never asks me to fix anyone or stop their advertisements. Except for one Urdu newspaper, there has been no ban on advertisements.
Q. The European Union Ambassador said the other day at a news conference that the EU takes seriously one of the previous statements by President Musharraf that he would take off his military uniform by December this year. Any comments?
A. The next six months are very critical, and a number of unexpected and disturbing things may happen in our region, especially in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East. During this period important elections will be held in the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if Senator John Kerry wins, he knows the geo-political importance of Pakistan. But I believe we would be more comfortable if President Bush enters the White House for the second time. I foresee more crises, both at home and abroad, and under such circumstances President Musharraf has to play an important role. Therefore, many people believe that he must not shed his military uniform and those who belong to the EU, the OIC and the non-alignment movement would hopefully come along with us.
But I must say that the president has yet to take a final decision on this issue and I am sure it will be taken in the larger interest of the country. The world has witnessed after so many years a leader like Gen Musharraf, who is pursuing good policies. Is it not very significant to note that for the first time, last year and this year too, the world media gave live coverage to our president’s speech at the UN General Assembly. Pakistan has come out of an international crisis due to President Musharraf, and there is no negative propaganda against our seminaries anymore.
Q. Would you like to elaborate on the domestic crisis that you have just mentioned?
A. First of all, our ruling PML is not performing well and it has to be strengthened by us. Then, we need to change the public stance towards the US. Pakistan does need the support of the Americans and our government is with the US, but unfortunately our people are not very fond of the Americans. However, I would add here that the US government needs to improve its image in the Muslim world. It is amazing that while almost all Muslim leaders support the Americans, public opinion in Muslim countries is against the US. I hope if Bush wins he will no more be unnecessarily supporting Israel and will think about the poor people of Palestine.
Then there are four important issues, which need the attention of the government: law and order, price-hike, unemployment and expensive judicial system.
Q. Do you support the presidential form of government as is being advocated by many people these days?
A. Personally, I do support this system and believe that the presidential form of government is the solution to our problems. Muhammad Khan Junejo could not get along with General Zia, and so was the case with Jamali. A minister never feels comfortable with his secretary. Therefore, I believe that all major powers should be vested in one hand, which is of the president. But our Constitution does not allow this, and I do not know how things will be better off in our part of the world. We, the politicians, fail when we get the power to deliver, and that is why I am a strong supporter of the presidential form of government.
Q. But does it not negate democracy?
A. We should not compete with the outside world, and try to have our own model of democracy that should suit us and provide practical solutions to our problems.
Q. There is a general reservation that since Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is not a political person, he will not be able to deliver. What’s your opinion on the subject?
A. The prime minister is facing a number of challenges and I am sure ultimately he will live up to what’s expected of him. People view him more as an economist than a politician, and they want him to remove poverty from the country and offer good governance.
Q. Don’t you think that it is time we had a national reconciliation on different contentious issues in the country?
A. I fully agree with you and I believe that our government should take some initiative in this regard. We have to get rid of the policies of hatred so that our problems could be resolved and the common man may live in peace.
Q. The Opposition says it will launch a movement if the president does not remove his military uniform. What is your take on this?
A. The MMA is now split. While Maulana Fazlur Rehman is soft, Qazi Husain Ahmad is pretty stern against the president. The maulana is more concerned about MMA governments in the NWFP and Balochistan, and Qazi sahib does not think that way. But I have my doubts whether even a combined opposition could launch any successful movement, as they have no issue to exploit. Honestly, Gen Musharraf has been going around the world defending the MMA whose image is that of an extremist party.
Q. Are you hopeful about any settlement on Kashmir?
A. President Musharraf is a man of vision and has provided a solution to the problem by saying that let us resort to some give-and-take policy. Now the ball is in India’s court to respond positively if at all it wanted to get rid of the Kashmir issue. Unless Kashmir is settled, India cannot progress and they have got to understand that President Musharraf is very sincere and ready to resolve the problem. Did you not notice that the president has not talked about UN resolutions on Kashmir while addressing the UN General Assembly this year. India would be very unfortunate if it does not come to terms this time.
Q. What about Kalabagh Dam?
A. If our people want to find out the solution to its water-related problems, then they will have to build both Kalabagh and Bhashah dams. And I tell you this job will only be done by the president, as politicians do not have the courage to take bold and unpopular decisions.
Q. Why the government could not create religious harmony?
A. The fact of the matter is that real religious leaders have become extinct and today we have those who are more interested in fighting than doing any positive service. So this is a critical issue, and I do not know how this can be resolved.
‘There was no room for voicing a difference of opinion during the Sharif tenure and things were handled mostly by the two brothers. In contrast, Musharraf and Shaukat lend an attentive ear,’ says Sheikh Rashid Ahmad while discussing his presence on either side of the divide
