Pakistan's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde figure – Dr. Jekyll abroad and Mr. Hyde for many countrymen back home.

With his coifed hair, pencil-thin moustache, impeccable designer suits and easy command of English, Musharraf often comes across as an affable, moderate leader. His fortes are charm and aplomb. These qualities are rare among many Muslim leaders.

He’s just finished an eight-day trip through four European countries. Typical of his off-the-cuff manner was his opening at a press conference on Monday in London.

"I read in your papers that I am here on a charm offensive -- yes, I am," Musharraf said, according to this Times of London account.

It’s enough to make one forget that Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, isn’t a democratic ruler. He only shed his general’s uniform late last year.

“Over the years, particularly as the military ruler, he was seen as handling the toughest of questions with great panache, and on many occasions, with a smile,” the Dawn newspaper said in an editorial this morning.

But during another London press conference, something else happened that reminded many Pakistanis _ and some foreigners _ why Musharraf has become deeply unpopular: Turning into Mr. Hyde, he not only scolded a respected reporter, he essentially bullied him. The reporter, the veteran London correspondent of Dawn, Mohammed Ziauddin, had asked Musharraf how has administration had allowed a terrorist suspect to escape prison.

A bristling Musharraf exploded in Urdu. He accused Ziauddin of “undermining … your own country.” He then urged his supporters to “teach a lesson” to Ziauddin.

The berating of the journalist brought protests. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the remarks “are a chilling indicator of the Musharraf government’s real attitude towards the Pakistani media.”

In a statement from Islamabad, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said Pakistani journalists “do not need certificates of patriotism from dictators or authoritarian rulers.” The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, based in Karachi, called Musharraf’s remarks “outrageous and unpardonable” and urged Musharraf to apologize to Ziauddin for inciting people to beat him up. Hundreds of journalists protested Tuesday outside the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Press Club.

In its editorial today, Dawn newspaper was more charitable. It said Musharraf’s outburst probably results from the vulnerability he feels after shedding his general’s uniform late last year. 

“Such outbursts do not inspire confidence in his ability to steer the country out of the troubled waters it finds itself in today,” the editorial said.

President Musharraf’s dueling personalities also brought some attention in Europe.

The 64-year-old Pakistani leader “treats his fellow Pakistanis with contempt while oozing charm for the benefit of foreigners,” David Blair, the diplomatic editor, wrote this week in the Daily Telegraph of London.