THIS is apropos of Engr S.T Hussain's letter '' (Feb 20). The writer has held, and rightly too, that the country needs an Attaturk to develop it as envisioned by the Quaid-i-Azam. Therefore, he suggested that people want Musharraf back.

I completely support the views expressed by him as Musharraf was an honest and prudent leader.

When Musharraf came to power, he claimed that the corruption in the government bureaucracy would be cleaned up. Pakistan, under him, has improved its ratings from being the 11th most corrupt country to come down to 41st.

In 2007, according to Transparency International, Pakistan is clearly ranked 138th out of 179 countries. That places Pakistan as the 41st most corrupt country in 2007.

His vision and policies helped Pakistan come out of the list of Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) while setting it on path of prosperity, growth and economic reforms. The economic achievements caused Pakistan to emerge as an important geostrategic country with a 100 per cent better economy.

In 2006, Pakistan was the third fastest growing economy of the world and the world's preferred destination for investment. From 1999 to 2007, Pakistan's economy grew by 100 per cent to become $160bn. Revenue grew by 100 per cent to become $11.4bn, and the Karachi Stock Exchange grew by 500 per cent to become $75bn.

Also, the FDI grew by 500 per cent to become $8.4bn and annual debt servicing decreased by 35 per cent to become 26 per cent.

Finally, his reforms for women empowerment are unprecedented in the whole region.

Admittedly, Musharraf made some mistakes but nobody is perfect. People want him to return and steer the country out of the mess.

SHAMYL RIAZ MALIK
Karachi