April 22, 2005 ☼ Foreign Affairs
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
Ayaz Amir is among Pakistan’s most respected columnists, and often comes out as a reasonable voice — especially when it comes to documenting the follies of Musharraf’s military dictatorship. But he stretches an analogy to incredible levels when he compares General Musharraf to Neville Chamberlain, Britain’s gentle prime minister during the run up to the Second World War. And yes, Dr Manmohan Singh, India’s soft-spoken prime minister is the Hitler of the piece.
Chamberlain kow-towed before Hitler at Munich, allowing Hitler to go ahead with the rape of Czechoslovakia, assuming that this was the price for averting war. “Peace in our lifetime,” he proclaimed on his return to London even as the German Wehrmacht moved into Czechoslovakia.
Although disastrously wrong, Chamberlain at least was motivated by good intentions - the old story of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. President Musharraf of Pakistan doesn’t even have Chamberlain’s excuse. There is no war threatening to break out between India and Pakistan. It is all quiet on the eastern front, quieter than it has ever been in living memory.
And yet, for no rhyme or reason - or at least none comprehensible to mortal man - he has just done a mini-Munich in Delhi, effectively agreeing to the Indian position on key issues and getting only bland words and good intentions in return. [Dawn Archived]
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