Senior journalist Vinod Dua, who was named in the MeToo campaign and accused of sexually harassing and stalking a filmmaker in 1989, once spoke about using flowery language for the dead to appear “politically correct”. In one of his videos, Dua had said that effusive obituaries pouring over after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death was “hypocrisy” as no one spoke ill of the dead.
“India’s former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee died today. He was 93 years old at the time of his death. In our country, we have a habit of putting up pretenses after a person has passed away. They are suddenly exalted to the status of great men and such kinds of obituaries are shared saying that it is politically correct,” Dua said in his video for the leftist propaganda website The Wire.
We remember the late Vinod Dua’s words today because some people are getting uncomfortable over all the jokes and memes mocking the death of former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf.
While in general, I maintain that the dead should not be mocked, since they are no longer around to defend themselves. However, I feel we can make an exception in the case of someone like Pervez Musharraf since there is no defense that can explain his actions during his life.
In case any Indian has forgotten, Musharraf was the architect of the Kargil war in 1999 while he was heading the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army of course calls all the shots in the country. Later in the year, Musharraf executed a military coup to seize control of power (officially) in Pakistan and replaced the Nawaz Sharif government. Musharraf led Pakistan from 1999 to 2008 as the country’s President before leaving for London in disgrace.
Kargil war and the role of Musharraf in it
The Kargil war between India and Pakistan, which lasted from May 1999 to July 1999, resulted in the death of thousands. While the numbers remain disputed, as per the figures given by the Nawaz Sharif government, nearly 4,000 Pakistanis died in the conflict while over 500 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty.
Pervez Musharraf obviously disagreed with Nawaz Sharif’s government and said that only 357 Pakistani soldiers died in the war and over 1600 Indian soldiers died, however, not many bought Musharraf’s tall claims as Pakistan had to retreat from the battle lines.
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.
The failed Agra Summit due to Musharraf’s ego
Once Pervez Musharraf seized power in Pakistan, India had no option but to work with him when it came to dealing with cross-border tensions. Despite his role in engineering the Kargil war, India invited him to Agra to sort out the conflict, however, nothing was resolved, because nothing can be resolved with a dictator like Musharraf.
Musharraf left the summit in a huff, did not sign anything, and ignored Vajpayee’s peace overtures.
Musharraf executing murders in Pakistan
A Pakistani court charged Pervez Musharraf with murder in connection with the 2007 assassination of opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The indictment of Musharraf by a court in Rawalpindi marked the first time a former Pakistani military chief was charged with a crime.
So, a man who always fought against India, started the Kargil war, and shamed India for trying to achieve peace has died. Why shouldn’t people mock the death of such a person?
