Musharraf's fatal dalliance

His rule contributed to Indo-Pak tensions

The relatively benign obituaries of Pervez Musharraf may have been influenced by the grave economic crisis in the country he ruled as military chief and president for nine years (1999-2008). Unemployment and inflation are at record highs, forex reserves are sufficient to cover three weeks’ worth of imports and a bailout from the International Monetary Fund — Pakistan’s 22nd in over 60 years — is stalled on unfulfilled conditions. Musharraf’s death in Dubai on February 5 offers a reminder that he presided over a period of relatively rapid economic growth, an improvement in Pakistan’s human development indicators, and a near