Fortunate to have India's democracy
My friends know I was clearly excited on the day the votes in India's parliamentary elections were counted. I was very nervous that voters might return a fractured verdict. Voters proved all the pundits wrong by voting for stability with a clear preference for the leading coalitions UPA and NDA and rejecting the "parking lots." and showed how smart they were. Rural voters thrashing NDA's India Shining campaign is still fresh in memory. India's voters have come of age. This is a great time for India's democracy. It makes me so proud to be an Indian.
We just have to look at our neighbors to understand how lucky we are --- Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. I was watching Fareed Zakaria interviewing Pervez Musharraf on CNN and startled to hear this exchange.
ZAKARIA: Do you believe that the Pakistani military is a professional military, in control of the nuclear weapons, dedicated to fighting the Taliban? Or is there a need for some transition? Is there a need for a strategic mind shift?
MUSHARRAF: Five hundred percent, there is no need of any mind shift. These aspersions are caused by those who want to weaken Pakistan. Pakistan's strength is its army. And anyone who wants to weaken Pakistan attacks the Pakistan army and the ISI. And unfortunately, I...
ZAKARIA: And you stand by both, the ISI and the army?
MUSHARRAF: Yes, yes. Yes, indeed. So, I personally think that there is some vicious campaign going on against Pakistan. Because if anyone wants to weaken Pakistan, attack these two institutions ...
Musharraf is indeed correct. Pakistan's strength is its army. I feel bad for our neighbors. And I feel so fortunate to be able to say my country's strength is its democracy.