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Monday, August 18, 2008

[chottala.com] The Aafia Siddiqui I Saw By Dazeylin

by Abu Sabaya

"I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this simple woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her - a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able."

"She is a high security risk."

- Christopher LaVigne, assistant US attorney, on August 11th when trying to convince a judge to prevent Aafia from seeing a doctor for her gunshot wound.

During the time of the Prophet (SAW), those who entered Islam were of two types: those who remained in their lands with the general populace practicing the basic tenets of the religion, and those who took it upon themselves to migrate and join the Prophet in his expeditions.

There are ahadith that show that the Prophet treated these two groups differently from each other due to their difference in status. For example, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report that when appointing a leader to a battalion, he would instruct him on how to deal with those of the enemy who became Muslims, saying: "…invite them to migrate from their lands to the land of the Muhajirin, and inform them that if they do so, they will have all the privileges and obligations of the Muhajirin. If they refuse to migrate, tell them that they will have the status of the Bedouins, and will be subjected to the commands of Allah like the rest of the believers…" This distinction was simply of one group deciding to take upon its shoulders certain responsibilities in contrast to the other whose inactivity limited them to a very individualistic, localized, benign practice of Islam. One can in essence say that the Prophet divided the practice of the Muslims at the time into two types: the religion of the Migrants (Din al-Muhajirin, whose adherents took upon their shoulders the responsibilities of aiding and giving victory to Islam), and the religion of the Bedouins (Din al-A'rab, whose adherents did not go beyond the basics).

Although the depiction is of a situation that existed over a thousand years ago, it is an eternal pattern that Muslims will be distributed amongst these levels in every era and in every place. So, one can notice this distinction even amongst the practicing Muslims of the East and West. The Din al-A'rab of the past can be compared to the Islam that is limited to the five pillars, eating zabihah, and keeping the local mosque clean. Considering how difficult it is in the West to come across even these Muslims, imagine what joy comes to the eye and heart to see those who go a step further and reach the level of adhering to Din al-Muhajirin – those whose concern spans the entire Ummah, driving them to get up and become active workers for Islam, to dedicate their every minute to the service of Allah however they can no matter what other responsibilities clutter their busy lives, to have their hearts beat with the rest of the Muslims – all this with their heads raised high and paying no regard to those around them who eat and live like cattle, as it was said:

Such are the free in a world of the enslaved…

Recently, the entire world has been speaking about one such person - a short, thin college student, wife, and mother of three small children. Her name is Aafia Siddiqui.

I want you to be drawn to the story of this woman and also understand why I was drawn to it. I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this simple woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her - a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.

Those who knew Aafia recall that she was a very small, quiet, polite, and shy woman who was barely noticeable in a gathering. However, they add that when necessary, she would say what needed to be said. She was once giving a speech at a fundraiser for Bosnian orphans at a local mosque in which she began lambasting the men in the audience for not stepping up to do what she was doing. She would plead: "Where are the men? Why do I have to be the one standing up here and doing this work?" And she was right, as she was a mother, a wife, and a student in a community full of brothers with nothing to show when it came to Islamic work.

When she was a student at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), she began organizing drives to deliver copies of the Qur'an and other Islamic literature to the Muslims in the local prisons. She would have them delivered in boxes to a local mosque, and she would then show up at the mosque and carry the heavy boxes by herself all the way down the three flights of very steep stairs. Subhan Allah, look at the Qadar of Allah: this woman who would spend so much time and effort to help Muslim prisoners is now herself a prisoner (I ask Allah to free her)!

Her dedication to Islam was also very evident on campus. A 2004 article from Boston Magazine mentions that "…she wrote three guides for members who wanted to teach others about Islam. On the group's website, Siddiqui explained how to run a daw'ah table, an informational booth used at school events to educate people about, and persuade them to convert to, Islam." The article continues to mention that in the guides, she wrote: "Imagine our humble, but sincere daw'ah effort turning into a major daw'ah movement in this country! Just imagine it! And us, reaping the reward of everyone who accepts Islam through this movement, through years to come. Think and plan big. May Allah give this strength and sincerity to us so that our humble effort continue, and expands until America becomes a Muslim land."

Allahu Akbar…look at this himmah (concern)…look at these lofty aspirations and goals! As men, we should be ashamed to have to learn such lessons from a sister.

She would drive out of her way every week to teach the local Muslim children on Sundays. I was told by a sister that she would also drive out of her way every week to visit a small group of reverts to teach them the basics of Islam. One of the sisters who attended her circles described Aafia as "not going out of her way to be noticed by anybody, or to be anyone's friend. She just came out here to teach us about Allah, and English wasn't even her first language!"

Another sister who would attend her circles describes: "She shared with us that we should never make excuses for who we are. She said: 'Americans have no respect for people who are weak. Americans will respect us if we stand up and we are strong.'"

Allahu Akbar…O Allah, free this woman!

But Aafia's biggest passion was helping the oppressed Muslims around the globe. When war in Bosnia broke out, she did not sit back and watch with one knee over the other. Rather, she immediately sought out whatever means were within her grasp to make a difference. She didn't sit in a dreamy bubble thinking all day about how she wished that she could go over to Bosnia and help with relief efforts. She got up and did what she could: she would speak to people to raise awareness, she would ask for donations, she would send e-mails, she would give slideshow presentations - the point I'm trying to make here is that Aafia showed that there is always something we can do to help our brothers and sisters, the least of which is a spoken word to raise awareness to those who are unaware. Sitting back and doing nothing is never an option.

She once gave a speech at a local mosque to raise funds for Bosnian orphans, and when the audience was just sitting there watching her, she asked: "How many people in this room own more than one pair of boots?" When half the room raised their hands, she said: "So, donate them to these Bosnians who are about to face a brutal winter!" She was so effective in her plea that even the imam took off his boots and donated them!

There is much more to say about how passionate this sister was for Islam. However, the above gives you an idea of what she was like, and should hopefully serve as an inspiration for brothers before sisters to become active in serving Islam through whatever means are available. Remember that she was doing all of this while being a mother and a PhD student, and most of us do much less despite having much more free time.

So, having this image of Aafia in my mind, I was taken aback at what I saw when she was brought into court for what should have been her bail hearing. The door on the front left side of the courtroom was slowly opened to reveal a frail, limp, exhausted woman who could barely hold her own head up straight in a pale blue wheelchair. She was dressed in a Guantanamo-style orange prison uniform, and her frail head was wrapped in a white hijab that was pulled down to cover her bone-thin arms (the prison uniform is shortsleeved). Her lawyers quickly sat around her, and the hearing began.

The head prosecutor, assistant US attorney Christopher LaVigne, walked in with a group of three or four FBI agents, one of whom was a female who looked Pakistani. The defense began by announcing that the bail hearing was to be postponed because of Aafia's medical condition. Essentially, Aafia's lawyers reasoned that there was no point of her being out on bail if she was near death. So, they demanded that she be allowed a doctor's visit before anything else. LaVigne got up and objected, saying that Aafia was a risk to the security of the United States. The judge didn't seem to buy that, and the prosecutor continued arguing that "this is a woman who attempted to blast her way out of captivity." As soon as this was said, I looked over and noticed Aafia shaking her head in desperation and sadness, as if she felt that the whole world was against her. By the way, Aafia was so small and weak that I could barely see her from behind the wheelchair. All I could see was her head slumped over to the left and wrapped in the hijab, and her right arm sticking out.

I got a better understanding of why she was so sad and desperate when her lawyer began listing details of her condition:

* She now has brain damage from her time in US custody
* One of her kidneys was removed while in US custody
* She is unable to digest her food since part of her intestines was removed during surgery while in US custody
* She has layers and layers of sewed up skin from the surgery for the gunshot wound
* She has a large surgical scar from her chest area all the way down to her torso

With all of this, she had not been visited by a single doctor the entire time of her incarceration in the US despite being in constant incredible abdominal pain following her sloppy surgery in Afghanistan - pain for which she was being given nothing more than Ibuprofen! Ibuprofen is purchased over the counter to treat headaches!

With all of this, the prosecutor had the audacity and shamelessness to try to prevent her from being seen by a doctor due to her being a "security risk." When he was pressed by the judge as to why Aafia was sitting all this time in a NYC prison without basic medical care, the government attorney stuttered, said that it was "a complicated situation," and capped it with the expected cheap shot that "it was her decision as she refused to by seen by a male doctor." As soon as the prosecutor said that last bit, I saw Aafia's thin arm shoot up and shake back and forth to the judge (as if to say 'No! He's lying!'). I felt so sorry for her, as she was obviously quite frustrated at the lies being spilled out before her very eyes. Her lawyer then put her hand on her arm and began stroking it to comfort her and calm her down.

When the hearing was over, one scholarly statement stuck in my mind, and it is where Ibn al-Qayyim said that a person rises in his closeness to Allah until: "…there remains only one obstacle from which the enemy calls him from, and this is an obstacle that he must face. If anyone were to be saved from this obstacle, it would have been the Messengers and Prophets of Allah, and the noblest of His Creation. This is the obstacle of Satan unleashing his troops upon the believer with various types of harm: by way of the hand, the tongue, and the heart. This occurs in accordance with the degree of goodness that exists within the believer. So, the higher he is in degree, the more the enemy unleashes his troops and helps them against him, and overwhelms him with his followers and allies in various ways. There is no way around this obstacle, because the firmer he is in calling to Allah and fulfilling His commands, the more the enemy becomes intent upon deceiving him with foolish people. So, he has essentially put on his body armor in this obstacle, and has taken it upon himself to confront the enemy for Allah's Sake and in His Name, and his worship in doing so is the worship of the best of worshippers."

And this was absolutely clear that day when looking at the scene in the court. Despite Aafia's apparent physical weakness and frailty, there was a certain 'izzah (honor) and strength that I felt emanating from her the entire time. Everything from the way she forcefully shook her hand at the judge when the prosecutor would lie, to how she was keen to wear her hijab on top of her prison garments despite horrible circumstances that would make hijab the last thing on most people's minds, to the number of FBI agents, US Marshals, reporters, officials, etc. who were all stuffed in this small room to observe this frail, weak, short, quiet, female "security risk" - everything pointed to the conclusion that the only thing all of these people were afraid of was the strength of this sister's iman.

This is the situation of our dear sister, a Muslim woman in captivity…

What can I say…?

I will not close by mentioning the obligation of helping to free Muslim prisoners. I will not mention how al-Mu'tasim razed an entire city to the ground to rescue a single Muslim woman. I will not go back to the days of Salah ad-Din or 'Umar bin 'Abd al-'Aziz, who rescued Muslim prisoners in the tens of thousands. I cannot be greedy enough to mention these things at this point because what is even sadder than what is happening to Aafia Siddiqui is how few the Muslims were who even bothered to show up to her hearing in a city of around half a million Muslims (not counting the surrounding areas), and that not a single Muslim organization in the United States has taken up the sister's cause or even spoken a word in her defense, and as Ibn al-Qayyim said: "If ghayrah (protective jealousy) leaves a person's heart, his faith will follow it."

Unfortunately, in a time where most of us are following Din al-A'rab, it seems that the best person to teach us a lesson in how to help Aafia Siddiqui would have been Aafia herself.

Source: al-istiqamah.com

 

 
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[chottala.com] Prisoner No. 650 and a war on innocents

International

Prisoner No. 650 and a war on innocents

View from Dubai By Aijaz Zaka Syed

Just when you think that Uncle Sam's war of terror has no more surprises to spring on an unsuspecting world, it comes up with yet another gem. Take the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who grew up in the US and went to top universities including the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The woman who had been a star student and a topper throughout a remarkable career appeared in a New York court this past week as a 'top al Qaeda' terrorist.

She had to leave the US when the authorities began harassing her and her husband for their charity activities in the wake of September 11 upheavals.

The family lived in Karachi and was never involved in any illegal activities. One day in March 2003, this talented young woman went missing with her three children when she was on her way to Karachi airport to catch a flight to Islamabad.

Families of missing Pakistanis carrying placards featuring images of US detained Pakistani woman Aafia Siddiqui and their children dressed up as prisoners of Guantanamo Bay, chant slogans at a demonstration in Karachi on Friday. AFP

This week, after five years, she resurfaced in a New York court. She was barely able to walk and speak, which was not surprising given the fact she had been involved in a "gun fight with FBI agents" in Afghanistan. The US authorities claim Dr Siddiqui was captured near the governor's offices in Ghazni, Afghanistan only last month with a bag carrying "suspicious liquids in tubes."

If you think this yarn is rather hard to believe, here's more food for thought. We are told Siddiqui assaulted a team of US troops and FBI officials with a highly sophisticated weapon when they went to quiz her in Afghanistan.

And where did she get the weapon? Somebody had of course conveniently placed it near her. She is said to have fired several rounds with the hi-tech weapon.

Interestingly, while all those alleged rounds of firing with the alleged weapon failed to wound or injure America's brave soldiers, Siddiqui herself has ended up with a bullet wound in her chest. Even though one has never been enamoured of the Bushies' extraordinary intellectual powers, this cock and bull tale is an insult to the intelligence of American people as well as the rest of the world.

I mean they could have at least employed more ingenuity of thought and imagination in cooking up this incredibly bizarre case against a lone, defenceless, half-alive woman who seems to have no clue where she is or what she is accused of.

There are some basic questions that an ordinary mind like mine just can't seem to figure out. First, where was Aafia Siddiqui hiding or hidden all these years -- since she went missing in Karachi in March 2003? How did she turn up in the remote Ghazni province in Afghanistan, of all the God-forsaken places? And what happened to her three children?

Second, if the MIT-educated neuroscientist was indeed an al Qaeda mastermind, why wasn't she presented in a court of law all this while? Even today when she is facing the US law, she is not being tried on terrorism charges but for allegedly assaulting US officials. So what's her original crime, if she has indeed committed a crime?

Third, why wasn't the Pakistani government informed about her detention in Afghanistan and her subsequent deportation to the US? Or are Pakistan's Enlightened and Moderate leaders also involved in this international enterprise against a 31-year old mom of three?

There are so many gaping holes in this "case" that the US constitution, Magna Carta and the UN human rights charter can all go through them at the same time. You abduct a completely innocent, married woman with a family and put her away for five years to conveniently discover her now as a terrorist in lawless Afghanistan.

Elaine Whitfield Sharp, Siddiqui's lawyer, believes she has been put on trial now because she has "become a terrible embarrassment" to the US and Afghan authorities. The question is why has she been reinvented now? It is quite possible that Siddiqui has been FOUND now because of a relentless campaign by British journalist Yvonne Ridley. Ridley herself had been a prisoner of the Taleban regime for 11 days just before the US invasion in 2001 and converted to Islam after her strange experience in Afghanistan.

Ridley has been running a campaign called Cage Prisoner for the release of a female prisoner who has been held at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan in total isolation and regularly tortured for five years. The unknown female prisoner, known as the Prisoner No. 650 and The Grey Lady of Bagram, was brought to world attention after Ridley read about the woman in a book by fellow Briton Moazzam Beg, a former Gitmo and Bagram prisoner. In his book, Enemy Combatant, Beg talks of a woman's endless screams for help as she was tortured. Beg first thought he was imagining his wife's screams.

"However, we now know the screams came from a woman who has been held in Bagram for some years. And she is Prisoner No. 650," Ridley disclosed at a recent press conference in Pakistan.

And I strongly suspect that Prisoner No. 650 is none other than Dr Aafia Siddiqui. It is quite possible that her captors decided to end her isolation after the Pakistani press and activists like Yvonne Ridley began increasingly talking of the mysterious Prisoner No. 650 and how she was tortured and abused physically, mentally and sexually for the past four years.

I find it hard to believe all this can happen in this age and time. When one read Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel laureate who died last week, years ago and his first person account of the Soviet gulag and how they turned living human beings into humanity's refuse, one thought it could never happen in our age and time. But one is not so sure now.

If they could do this to a gifted, US-educated and trained scientist, I shudder to think of the fate of unknown, illiterate and impoverished men and women summarily picked up in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Aafia Siddiqui case may have come to world attention because of some conscientious activists. What about all those innocent individuals, who have just vanished down the black hole called the Guantanamo Bay, without a trial and without anyone looking for them? And who knows how many such gulags are out there and how many innocents they have sucked into their belly?

*Aijaz Zaka Syed is Opinion Editor of Khaleej Times.

 
Sunday August 17, 2008
 
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[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.

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[FutureOfBangladesh] Khaleda Zia is an utmost notoriously " KRITOGHNA " - means someone who not only denies the help & contribution of one's aide but also tries to harm to that aide, whenever he or she get chance

 

Dear Reader,

 

Khaleda Zia is an utmost notoriously " KRITOGHNA "

 

Read the attached article (PDF file attached)
About the jealoussy & cruelity of Khaleda Zia who celebrate her
 
One of the 5 FIVE fake birthday
 

On 15th August - assisiniation day of Banagabndhu 

Who has saved her family & conjugal life with General Zia,

Zia refused to take her as his wife after the liberation war of 1971

 

This is not an "ASHARE GOLPO" or false story or man-made lie.

 
Rather it is fact.
 
I have authentic & genuine reference.

 

Khaleda Zia is an utmost notoriously
" KRITOGHNA"

 

There is no alike or appropriate word in English language, of this most hated Bangali adjective (" KRITOGHNA"), as the English has never thought of existence or possibility of this type of very bad behaviour from any human being or even from a beast!

 

"KRITOGHNA" - means someone who not only denies the help & contribution of one's aide

but also tries to harm to that aide, whenever he or she get chance.

 

Late General Ziaur Rahman was very unhappy with the actions and manner of his wife, Khaleda Zia during the liberation war of 1971 and he was thinking to break their conjugal relation ship with Khaleda, as she repeteadly denied leaving Pakistani shelter and refused to go to India to stay with Zia, in spite of repeated instructions AND hand written letter from Zia.

 

Some specialist freedom fighters were sent to her and to wives of some other top senior political & army officer, who were not able to take their wives & family along with them, during the very begining of the liberation war in 1971. Most of them (wives & family of senior officers) went to their husband, except Khaleda Zia.

 

So, naturally General Zia was very unhappy with her and he thought to break their conjugal relation ship with Khaleda. After the liberation of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia came to Bangabandhu's house (at 32 no Dhanmondi) several times and seeks the utmost assistance of Bangabandhu to remain their family relationship. Then Bangabandhu used his personality & influence on Zia to keep Khaleda's marital relation ship with Zia.

 

Please read the item or episode 37 of the legendary & authentic book, "BANGABANDHU SHEIKH MUJIB KE GHIRE KICHU GHOTHONA & BANGLADESH" written by Dr. M A Wazed Mian, husband of Sheikh Hasina. Up to 2000 (I have this copy) four number of edition of this book has already published, which is very rare for any book on political matter.

 

Whole subject matters of that book was 1st published , continuously, in hundreds of episode, on alternate day, in the daily Ajker Kagoj during 1992, one of the best and well circulated news paper of that period and then that book was also published in 1993. On both the occasions, Khaleda Zia was ruling Prime Minister of Bangladesh. As content of that book was correct, so either as person Khaleda Zia or as an existing Prime Minister of Bangladesh and her Press office/wing (which is led by a full fledged Secretary) was not able to make any kind of official protest, deny or case about that fact.

 

Same episode was informed in the Bangladesh Parliament, by Major (Retd) Hafijuddin, now SONGSKAR BADEE, the then "independence MP" (1991-1996), previously Jatio Party (Ershad) leader MP - Minister (up to 1991) and very recently Ex cabinet minister of Khaleda Zia cabinet (2001-2006). Ref: Proceedings of the Bangladesh Parliament

 

That ungrateful & unthankful Khaleda Zia not only criticizes, defames & undermines Bangabandhu, even she, being a widow of more than fifty years old, started celebrating her "false" official birthday, on the black 15th August, the day of mourning of Bangalee nation - the brutal killing day of Bangabandhu & his family.

 

She has five "different" birthday, published in the daily "Sangbad" in 1997 and Khaleda Zia did not make any kind of official protest or lodged any case against that news, though she was President of BNP as well as the leader of the opposition in the Parliament, about that fact.

 

Dear readers, please read this posting minutely, before "inking".

I have given all the authentic & publicly available reference

In support of my comments, remarks,

This is not " KOTHAR KOTHA" or manufactured storey

 
Though to the best of my knowledge, all are fact. But still some one wants to put any note of dissent, as a democratic right, you are always welcome, but, that should support with genuine & publicly available reference.
 
 
"Sustha thakon, nirapade thakon ebong valo thakon"

Shuvechhante,

Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan (ANU)
NEW ZEALAND.

Phone: 00-64-9-828 2435 (Res), 00-64-0274  500 277 (mobile)
E-mail: srbanunz@gmail.com

N.B.: If any one is offended by content of this e-mail, please ignore & delete this e-mail. I also request you to inform me by an e- mail - to delete your name from my contact list.

 

 

 



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....we must use caution and restraint in our language.  No personal attacks, address the issues, avoid inflammatory rhetoric, do not suggest or infer violence and be able to back up any statements or facts with a credible web site link....



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[FutureOfBangladesh] Cruel & vindictive treatment towards late General Mustafiz & to his daughter by previous NaPaki - Jamat - BNP govt - headed by Khaleda - wife of another army General

 

Dear readers,

 

 

Please read the nice & informative article recently published in the CHATURANGA page of the daily Janakantha of the 13th August 2008 issue written by a retired officer of the Banagladesh Army, Major (Retd) Emdad.

 

PDF file is attached.

 

It was very difficult for us to controll our tear while reading that very heart touchy & emotional description of some facts about some cruel & vindictive treatment towards late General Mustafiz & his daughter by last NaPaki - Jamat - BNP govt - headed by Khaleda - wife of another army General

 

We, most of the common people of Bangladesh do not those vindictive & cruel behaviour of Khaleda Zia - Jamat - NaPaki gong.

 

We are requesting Major Emdad to inform us some other facts - happened inside the barrack - as he was there and was a straight witness. Common people of Bangladesh will know some untold facts!

 

 

Thanks again dear Maj Emdad Vai please accept our heartiest special gratitude for your bold step & nice & informative article in the daily Janakantha.

 

 
"Sustha thakon, nirapade thakon ebong valo thakon"

Shuvechhante,

Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan (ANU)
NEW ZEALAND.

Phone: 00-64-9-828 2435 (Res), 00-64-0274  500 277 (mobile)
E-mail: srbanunz@gmail.com


N.B.: If any one is offended by content of this e-mail, please ignore & delete this e-mail. I also request you to inform me by an e- mail - to delete your name from my contact list.


__._,_.___

....we must use caution and restraint in our language.  No personal attacks, address the issues, avoid inflammatory rhetoric, do not suggest or infer violence and be able to back up any statements or facts with a credible web site link....



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[chottala.com] Musharraf finally gives up `saving' Pakistan:Moeen Should also

If you read  the following report in bdnews24.com , you will find similar symptoms in our helper general/
 
   Where is going our genral;s  rescued train ?
 Should not he resign  from his extended post
Musharraf finally gives up `saving' Pakistan
Mon, Aug 18th, 2008 2:51 pm BdST
ISLAMABAD, Mon Aug 18, (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Faced with the humiliation of impeachment, former army chief Pervez Musharraf quit as Pakistan president on Monday, having lost political, popular and increasingly even US support.

Born in New Delhi on Aug. 11, 1943, Musharraf arrived with his parents in Karachi, Pakistan's first capital, a day after the Partition of India in 1947.

A career army officer, Musharraf came to power in a 1999 coup, went on to be a close US ally in the war against terror, and narrowly survived al Qaeda-inspired assassination attempts.

His enemies said he betrayed Islam by caving in to US pressure to abandon support for the Taliban government hosting al Qaeda in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He believed he saved Pakistan.

The US government sank more than $11 billion into Pakistan, mostly its military, and expected Musharraf to produce results.

Pakistan captured hundreds of al Qaeda, and lost over 1,000 soldiers fighting in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Yet suspicions lingered that Pakistani intelligence agencies played a double-game, allowing the Taliban safe refuge.

The alliance with the United States was always a hard sell in Pakistan, and contributed to Musharraf's unpopularity.

Regarded as a military dictator, he was treated initially as a pariah by the West, but at home was seen as a different kind of general when he first seized power.

He had a friendly, straight-talking charm and after a decade of inept, corrupt civilian rule, many Pakistanis welcomed the overthrow of prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf's favourite film was "Gladiator", the tale of an honourable general who saves Rome from a wicked emperor.


SAVIOUR COMPLEX

Critics say Musharraf suffered from a "saviour complex", believing he was indispensable for Pakistan, but in late 2007, people welcomed back from exile Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, the leaders they were disillusioned with a decade earlier.

Musharraf had promised to return Pakistan to democracy, but critics say he stifled political freedom.

A 2002 general election was widely seen as rigged. The pliant parliament that emerged elected Musharraf president. He turned to it again to re-elect him before its term ended in late 2007.

As challenges mounted, Musharraf reverted to autocratic ways. His downfall will be traced back to March 9, 2007, when he tried to force Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to resign.

Chaudhry's defiance mobilised a lawyers' movement to defend the judiciary and galvanised the opposition.

Out of desperation, Musharraf last November imposed emergency rule for six weeks to purge the judiciary before the Supreme Court could rule on the legality of his re-election.

Having secured a second term, Musharraf quit the army to meet a constitutional requirement, and set an election date.

Bhutto was killed on Dec. 27 while campaigning, sparking a forest fire of conspiracy theories, most damaging to Musharraf.

Led by Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan People's Party won the vote in February and forged an alliance with Sharif that completed Musharraf's isolation.


FEET OF CLAY

Musharraf had always held up the economy as one of his successes. Brought back from the brink of bankruptcy and made more open and investor friendly, Pakistan became one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

But the gap between rich and poor widened, and soaring international food and energy prices along with mismanagement during the last year undid much of the good.

Musharraf's more lasting legacy may be a peace process with India launched in 2004, two years after the nuclear-armed rivals went to the brink of a fourth war.

Otherwise, Musharraf ultimately disappointed many who hoped he would lead Pakistan out of political morass and growing religious conservatism.

Some liberals perceived a kindred spirit in the bluff ex-commando, who liked a peg of whisky and wasn't shy of being photographed with his pet Pekingese, despite more orthodox Muslim taboos regarding alcohol and dogs.

Musharraf appeared set on rolling back Islamisation policies put in place earlier, even though critics say his marginalisation of mainstream parties enabled Islamist ones to gain influence.

Rape laws were amended to give women more protection, but otherwise Musharraf's liberal inclinations were hobbled by the conservatives he needed for support.

His lack of resolve was manifest in a half-hearted attempt to reform religious schools seen as nurseries for militancy.

He paid a price. Appeasement emboldened radical clerics in charge of Islamabad's Red Mosque. After shooting broke out in July last year, Musharraf ordered a commando assault on the complex and more than 100 people were killed.

A wave of suicide attacks in retaliation killed hundreds, and as Pakistan became increasingly unstable, more people asked if Musharraf was part of the problem.


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