Among my country's twenty or so neighboring countries, Pakistan is definitely a country with close relations and frequent exchanges. When our country positioned the relationship between the two parties, it used the uncommon " all-weather strategic partnership " level.
During his tenure, the country’s previous president also placed a high priority on relations with China and maintained very close exchanges with China. However, after the president stepped down in a disgraceful manner, he did not go to China, but chose to live in exile in London.
Pervez Musharraf
Musharraf: Personal experience Partition of India and Pakistan
To sort out the ups and downs of Pervez Musharraf, Britain has always been an important role that cannot be avoided.
Musharraf was born in 1943 and grew up in an influential Muhajir family. At that time, World War II was coming to an end, and national independence movements were gradually surging around the world. British India, with the Indian National Congress Party ("Congress Party" for short) as its leader, sought to break away from British control and become independent.
The young Musharraf also became one of the witnesses of this stormy era. However, in the end, the "Mountbatten Plan" was implemented, and the land was drawn out behind closed doors by a British lawyer who had never been to Asia. "Radcliffe Line" is divided into two countries. Gandhi , who once belonged to the Congress Party, became the Mahatma of India, while Ali Jinnah became the founding father of Pakistan.
Due to ethnic reasons, Musharraf's family returned to Pakistan, and his father also served as Pakistan's diplomat in Turkey. As a result, he followed his parents to live in Turkey since he was six years old, and thus gained a favorable education and growth environment.
Although Pakistan and India have divided national borders, disputes between the two countries continue because of the existence of tinderboxes such as Kashmir and East Pakistan . A few years after Musharraf returned to the country, he chose to enter the Kakul Military Academy in Pakistan, determined to follow the path of a soldier.
In 1964, Musharraf graduated from the military academy and immediately joined the Pakistan Army. He first became an artillery officer, and later held different positions in a special operations battalion, armored division, infantry division and field army. It can be said that he grew up step by step in the army.
In the second year after Musharraf graduated, the second India-Pakistan war broke out. This war is memorable for Musharraf himself. Musharraf, who just graduated from the military academy, participated in the war and performed well and received awards for his meritorious service. This war is of even greater significance to Pakistan's entire country's diplomatic strategy.
Since the second India-Pakistan War
Since the second India-Pakistan War, China has begun to exert its influence on the situation between India and Pakistan in a real sense. In the face of the conflict between India and Pakistan, our country first provided diplomatic support and then provided material help.
At that time, there were not many of our own new tanks in stock, but Premier Zhou still personally ordered that some of the tanks in the active army should be allocated to support Pakistan. This move surprised and appreciated both the Pakistani army and the country's president.
When the war reached a fever pitch, China not only issued an "ultimatum" to India, but was even ready to send troops through the Sino-Titanian border. India was worried about falling into a situation of pressure from both sides, so it turned to strategic contraction. The Pakistani army, which was under pressure from the Indian army in Lahore area, got a breather, and the two sides finally agreed to a ceasefire.
With this war as a watershed, the United States' attitude toward Pakistan began to change: it had always talked about being "Asia's best friend", but in order to win over India, which had turned to the Soviet Union, the amount of U.S. aid Pakistan received began to appear. Frequent delays, or even not getting it at all.
This further widened the strength gap between India and Pakistan, and also led to Pakistan's overall defeat in the third India-Pakistan war.At that time, there was a pessimistic atmosphere in Pakistan about being "abandoned by the world". It even thought that it had become an orphan in the world.
At this time, China took action again, and Pakistan received support and assistance from China. In particular, J-6 and J-7 fighter jets became air force combat capabilities, which in turn suppressed the Indian Air Force , which had a significant impact on the war situation at that time.
A series of current situations prompted Pakistan to launch an unprecedented introspection - under the original situation, it was certainly not wrong to choose to be close to the United States, but in the face of China, a big country that borders the country and has the strength to defeat the Indian army, it can only The strategy of staying at the level of "good relations" and being content with communicating between China and the United States is obviously not enough.
As a result, Pakistan's foreign policy has made considerable adjustments. Politicians in this country believe that: Compared with the United States, the most important superiority of China lies in the consistency of diplomatic strategies, rather than the possibility of changing presidents like the United States. Once on stage, good friends are no longer good friends.
Since then, Pakistan’s leaders have come to power one after another, but the general direction of deepening ties and strengthening cooperation with China has never changed. Pakistan has deep feelings for the J-7 who made great contributions and calls them "air sentries", which means the guards guarding the sky over the capital. In its domestic legal system, there is even a crime called "the crime of destroying China-Pakistan friendship."
became president
At the same time that Pakistan's foreign strategy was undergoing adjustments, Musharraf's personal status also gradually rose.
He rose from the positions of Deputy Military Secretary and Director of the Operations Bureau to Commander of the 1st Army; after work, he also went to the General Staff Command School of Pakistan and the Royal Defense University of the United Kingdom for further studies; he received "Excellence", "Crescent" and other awards. Medals and military ranks jumped from major general, lieutenant general to general.
In 1999, then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed him Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. By this time, Musharraf had become a pivotal figure in Pakistan's military circles.
Nawaz Sharif
Although they have a supportive relationship, Sharif, who represents the civil service, and Musharraf, who represents the military community, have not been able to keep pace. Sharif hopes that the military and civilian officials will unite to form a "National Security Council." However, in Musharraf's view, this is one of Sharif's steps to extend his tentacles to the military. The conflicts between the two sides of gradually intensified.
In October of this year, Musharraf visited Sri Lanka and was "removed in absentia" by Prime Minister Sharif while he was abroad. However, Musharraf has been in the military for many years and has a deep foundation. While he ordered his subordinates in the country to arrest Sharif, he took a special plane to the country.
The situation was extremely critical at that time. Sharif ordered the airport not to allow Mu's special plane to land. When the special plane hovered over the capital, it had only the last seven minutes of fuel left. In the end, the troops under Musharraf's orders took control of the airport before they ran out of fuel. The final winner of this contest was Musharraf.
He dissolved the then-government and appointed himself CEO, effectively assuming full power. In May of the following year, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that the military takeover was a "necessary action" and recognized the legitimacy of the Musharraf government. In June of the third year, Musharraf ordered the termination of Rafiq Talal's presidential duties and was subsequently sworn in as president.
In the history of Pakistan, Musharraf is the fourth military president. Since then, he has been re-elected for a five-year term. However, the constitution stipulates that "the president and the commander-in-chief of the army cannot be combined into one", which is also the most common reason for his opposition.
Musharraf’s Presidency
Although he was born in the military and has always advocated toughness against India, Musharraf does not believe that war is the best option. Due to the ongoing war with India, Pakistan seriously lacks the environment and strength for stable development, and the country and its people have been hovering on the edge of poverty.
Therefore, after he took office, he first eased relations with India. India also had similar troubles, and the two sides hit it off immediately. In the following period of peaceful development, the economies of both countries have grown a lot.
When war is placed at the bottom of the priority list, industries such as agriculture, light industry, and service industries that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood will have the opportunity to develop and grow. The large sums of money originally spent on military expenditures were transferred by Musharraf to the construction of infrastructure such as roads and railways, investment in high-tech, and the construction of public service institutions such as schools and hospitals, all with the goal of national living standards.
Externally, since even India, its old enemy, has been able to make peace, it is of course more important to vigorously develop relations with other countries. During his tenure, Musharraf vigorously repaired and expanded political and economic ties with dozens of countries, and the idea of valuing relations with China was also passed down from Musharraf.
The exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan cover all fields of politics, military, economy, and culture. The most eye-catching one is the Gwadar Port jointly built by the two countries. In addition, such as "Fierce Dragon" fighter jet , "Red Arrow" and "Green Sword" missiles also prove the mutual trust and tacit understanding between the two countries.
In 2006, when Chinese leaders visited Pakistan, a small mistake occurred among the welcoming crowd in Pakistan - some people waved the "six-star red flag." At a small scale, this may be caused by the Pakistani printing shop's unfamiliarity with the Chinese flag; at a larger scale, mistaking a country's flag may escalate into a political incident.
But in the end, this incident passed without any trouble. Our country's officials did not say anything, and the people only talked about it as an anecdote after dinner. Almost no one was angry, and no one thought of protesting, which actually reflects the general impression of Pakistan in our country.
On the contrary, some Western commentators made sour comments about this, believing that the implication of this incident was "wanting to turn Pakistan into the sixth star on the Chinese flag."
If the "Six-Star Red Flag" was just a coincidence or a coincidence, then during the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay, President Musharraf and Prime Minister Gilani ran the first leg of the torch relay in person. This is unacceptable. Call it a coincidence. During the Wenchuan earthquake , Musharraf ordered all the seats on his special plane to be removed in order to transport as much supplies as possible. This is not a coincidence.
During the earthquake, Musharraf once said: "Whatever the Chinese brothers need, we will provide it."
Due to its geographical location and the "base" are too close, Pakistan is at a high risk of being threatened by terrorists. . In order to protect the safety of Chinese construction workers in Pakistan, the government will also dispatch military personnel to serve as security personnel stationed at the sites of Chinese-aided construction projects.
All of the above are actually footnotes to the "all-weather strategic partnership".
London life
In September 2007, opposition leaders and lawyers in Pakistan filed a lawsuit against Musharraf in the Supreme Court. The focus of the lawsuit was that "the president's concurrent appointment as chief of army staff is unconstitutional."
Although the Supreme Court rejected this accusation, Musharraf successfully won the 2008 presidential election. However, there were many dissatisfied people in Pakistan, and Musharraf had to resign from his position in the army. Next, the situation became increasingly difficult to suppress.
In August 2008, Musharraf gave a televised speech to all the people, claiming that he would resign as president "for the benefit of the country and the nation." Subsequently, he chose London, England as his place of residence, and actually chose self-exile on his own initiative.
There were different opinions about his whereabouts after resigning:
Some said he would go to the United States because his son was in Boston ; Some said he would go to Saudi Arabia because the atmosphere was similar, Saudi Arabia even had plans They wanted to arrange for him to live in the residence where Sharif lived when he was in exile; they also said that he would not go anywhere because he had just renovated a small house on the outskirts of Islamabad .
Of course, some people have noticed that these legendary possibilities do not include China, which vigorously developed relations between the two sides when he was in office.
It is actually not uncommon for senior officials from other countries to choose China as their base. The most famous is of course Prince Sihanouk, a former frequent guest of "News Network", and Huang Wenhuan, who was the vice chairman of Vietnam and was buried in Babaoshan in Beijing after his death. Even Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra often appeared in China after leaving office, running a company under her name.
Prince Sihanouk
The reason why Musharraf did not choose China as his permanent residence is probably due to cultural reasons.
Musharraf is a Muhajir. This name is originally a general term for Indian Muslim immigrants living in Pakistan. Therefore, the possibility of him going to Saudi Arabia was not small, but later Saudi Arabia no longer accepted him, so he transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom.
Secondly, according to media reports, Musharraf, who lives in a seemingly low-key red brick apartment on London's Edgware Road, actually leads a rather "money-burning" life.
As a person who once held a high position, the interior decoration of the house must not be bad; but more money is spent on security. Not only did he invite a small team of retired Pakistani commandos to take charge of his personal safety, but the British even formed a special team including the police, military, intelligence agencies and civilians to protect him.
If Musharraf chooses to settle in China, it is still unknown whether he can enjoy this kind of special treatment that is "luxury comparable to that of the Prime Minister."
Returns to Pakistan again
Although Musharraf seems to have faded out of politics, various disturbances about him have not subsided. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was once expelled by him. Now that times have changed, he demanded that Musharraf be sentenced for treason. If convicted of this charge, Musharraf will be executed.
Musharraf himself does not intend to remain silent forever. In 2010, he publicly criticized the current Pakistani government in front of the CNN camera for its incompetent governance, inability to develop the economy, and the inability to combat terrorist activities. It also mishandled the recent floods, causing great damage to people's lives and property. loss.
On October 1 of this year, Musharraf established a new political party, the "All Pakistan Muslim League" in London, claiming that it would "recover confidence" in Pakistan and prepare to participate in the 2013 presidential election.
However, the domestic backlash was also quite fierce: Pakistan's anti-terrorism court issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of being related to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Some senior officials in Pakistan also claimed that as long as Musharraf dares to come back, what awaits him is arrest.
In 2013, Musharraf returned to Pakistan from the UK, but was arrested as soon as he landed. Although he successfully obtained bail and was released from prison, he had to go to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to recuperate. From the perspective of , the good luck of "an emergency landing within seven minutes" is not always possible.
Conclusion
Regarding Musharraf’s resignation and exile, domestic experts in relevant fields believe that this matter will basically not have any adverse impact on China-Pakistan relations. Historically, Pakistan's say has changed hands several times, but China-Pakistan relations will continue to develop as they should.
The reason is that our country has always adhered to the attitude of not interfering in Pakistan's internal affairs and respecting the choices of the Pakistani people. The other side of is also confident in this. Just changing the speaker to will not affect the relationship between the two countries. The geographical conditions, strategic significance and historical origins of these two countries have determined that the strategic cooperative relationship between China and Pakistan will not be easily shaken.
Official reference:
"Musharraf may take refuge in London, China-Pakistan relations will not be affected", China Daily website Global Online 2008-08-20
"Ninety years of vicissitudes - Memoirs of the Ambassador", written by Yang Gongsu
"Exclusive :Pakistan’s own six-star red flag”, ifeng.com , 2006-11-24
“Undercurrents in London five years after Musharraf’s return to China”, Time Weekly, 2013-04-04
