Hours after it came to light that Pervez Musharraf had died, Indian liberals started to heap praise on the former Pakistani military dictator, known in India as the butcher of Kargil.
While ignoring the fact that Musharraf masterminded the 1999 Kargil War that claimed the lives of 500+ Indian soldiers, they glorified him for being a ‘cricket enthusiast’ and the ‘messiah of peace.’
Leading the pack of liberals was none other than Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who said that he found Musharraf smart and clear in his strategic thinking. He tweeted, “…Once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007. I met him annually in those days at the @un & found him smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking. RIP”
“Pervez Musharraf, Former Pakistani President, Dies of Rare Disease”: once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007. I met him annually in those days at the @un &found him smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking. RIP https://t.co/1Pvqp8cvjE
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 5, 2023
Vikrant Gupta, the Managing Editor of Sports Tak, also glorified Pervez Musharraf for being a sports lover and welcoming the Indian cricketers with open arms.
He tweeted, “India toured Pakistan in 2004 and 2006 when Pervez Musharraf was Pakistan President and welcomed the players with open arms. Famously told MS Dhoni not to cut his hair (saying the long locks suited him) and was an instant hit with the Indian team.”
India toured Pakistan in 2004 and 2006 when Pervez Musharraf was Pakistan President and welcomed the players with open arms. Famously told MS Dhoni not to cut his hair (saying the long locks suited him) and was an instant hit with Indian team
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) February 5, 2023
Sudheendra Kulkarni, who downplayed Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), hailed Musharraf for supposedly doing course correction after the Kargil War.
“He made a sensible proposal for peaceful resolution of the #Kashmir dispute. RIP,” Kulkarni tweeted a picture with the former military dictator. It is notable that Kulkarni has become a big supporter of Pakistan in India, and had even asked the Indian government to financially help Pakistan.
#Musharraf. The military dictator who wrecked chances of India-#Pakistan peace at the 2001 Agra Summit hosted by Vajpayee ji. Architect of Kargil War fiasco
— Sudheendra Kulkarni (@SudheenKulkarni) February 5, 2023
Later, he made a sensible proposal for peaceful resolution of the #Kashmir dispute
R.I.P.
Pic from a peace meet in Karachi pic.twitter.com/8P3cFWNaln
CNN-News18 sports journalist, Saikat Ghosh, also ignored the bloodied past of Pervez Musharraf and hailed for asking MS Dhoni to not cut his long hair. “Pervez Musharraf will be remembered for this one act,” he tweeted while attaching a video of the incident. According to him, the Pakistani dictator will be remembered for a random moment from a cricket field, and not for how he captured power in Pakistan through a coup and his bloody war against India.
Pervez Musharraf will be remembered for this one act.pic.twitter.com/t1yQXw2hOA#PervezMusharraf
— Saikat Ghosh (@Ghosh_Analysis) February 5, 2023
In 1984, in response to the Pakistan Army’s intrusions into Kargil, India launched ‘Operation Meghdoot’ and took control of Siachen and its tributary glaciers. Musharraf, who was heading those failed Siachen missions for Pakistan, vowed to occupy Kargil in response, and that personal ambition of Musharraf was the main trigger for Pakistan’s misadventure in Kargil in 1999.
Musharraf was the leading strategist behind the Kargil war, as he ordered the infiltration of Indian territory as the Pakistani Army’s General. In fact, when the then-PM Nawaz Sharif ordered the retreat of Pakistan forces due to international pressure, everyone knew that a coup has become inevitable since General Musharraf disagreed with Sharif.
The personal ambition and ego of Musharraf led to the deaths of thousands, mostly Pakistanis, during the Kargil war but instead of reflecting on that, the megalomaniac engineered a coup to seize power for himself.
