Military Dictatorship May Be Necessary to Save Pakistan from Islamic Fundamentalism

In 1999, General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Pakistan's civilian government in a coup. While he has been criticized by some both within and outside of Pakistan for failing to restore democracy in that country, David Tahir Mehmood argues in the following viewpoint that Musharraf should instead be praised for taking actions against Islamic militants in Pakistan. He compares Musharraf to Mustapha Kemal (Ataturk), who as military dictator of Turkey following World War I successfully established the foundations …

…the nation in a televised broadcast, is the long-term objective. Islam and democracy, as Kemal discovered, prove to be incompatible ideals. Pervaiz looks set to become the second dictator to break political and militant Islam for the sake of democracy. This requires personal courage, and the successful outcome of the American war on terror. Democratizing Pakistan, he would also be in a position to abate the grotesque blunder of partitioning British India on religious lines.