In A Plea for Enlightened Moderation, President Musharaff – no less makes an impassioned plea – for, well, enlightened moderation. He says:

The world has become an extremely dangerous place. The devastating power of plastic explosives, combined with high-tech remote-controlled devices, as well as a proliferation of suicide bombers, has created a lethal force that is all but impossible to counter.

All of us in Mumbai remember the Mumbai blasts – where ordinary citizens of all faiths perished. Its’ perpetrators are sitting comfortable in Karachi and other Pakistani cities – maybe handing them over for trial would be an extension of his philosophy of enlightened moderation.

General Musharaf reveals

My idea for untangling this knot is Enlightened Moderation, which I think is a win for all — for both the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds. It is a two-pronged strategy. The first part is for the Muslim world to shun militancy and extremism and adopt the path of socioeconomic uplift. The second is for the West, and the United States in particular, to seek to resolve all political disputes with justice and to aid in the socioeconomic betterment of the deprived Muslim world.

Societies will shun militancy if Governments no longer make it convinient for violence to flourish in the state. One can no longer call for a Jihad in Kashmir or a Karachi against people who aren’t like you. Be those Hindu Pandits orMuslim Mohajirs. Pontificating on the ideal state and practising it, are really two different things.

For socio economic upliftment all sections of the society – especially women – have to have equal opportunities for education. Once they have acquired education, then employment has to be generated. for that industry has to exist. For industry, economics and society to flourish there needs to be a guarantee of basic rights and freedoms. Power is something that rulers of Islamic States have to devlolve back to the people – How many of you have the moral courage and the love of your nation to give up power.

Most of what General Musharaf says makes sense – and i hope for a change – it is the statesman looking to leave an enduring mark in history talking, not a conniving politician out playing to the gallery. The world can do with Good News, and if General Musharaf is even partly serious about what he has written about – he deserves full support.