Clumsy deceptions, misrepresentations and outright lies -- that is what President Pervez Musharraf has steadily delivered in exchange for the $10 billion dollars in U.S. military aid he has received since Sept. 11, 2001.

In return for his autocratic behavior and failed efforts at curtailing Islamic military extremism, he has received the unwavering public accolades of the U.S. Administration.   Our government has put hope ahead of reason and consistently refused to respond to the reality of the often reckless behavior of a quasi-military dictator. What price do we pay when we put perceived political expediencies ahead of our own democratic ideals in conducting our foreign policy? What will be the long term effect of the development of the civil society in Pakistan and how will it view our continued support for an obviously flawed leader? And what is our responsibility as civil society leaders in the United States to support the efforts of our Pakistani colleagues and call our own government out on its flawed policies?

As a former Member of Congress and leader of several peace missions to the Middle East and elsewhere, I know there are often tough choices to make in the foreign policy arena. But over time the current leadership in Pakistan has made the calculus easier and easier to cipher. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, it’s time we call the doctor.

What is Musharraf’s track record to date?

And how are we to view the recent tragedy of the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Butto and the rescheduling of the upcoming elections? How gullible should we and the Pakistani people be when we know that Musharraf refused to provide Bhutto with adequate security after repeatedly being asked to do so; insisted that Butto died from hitting her head on her vehicle’s sunroof when footage clearly shows she died of gunshots; seized her medical records from the hospital that treated her and lastly ignored calls to keep the Jan. 8 election date despite Pakistani and world opinion.  

• U.S. intelligence sources report that Al Qaeda has reconstituted in tribal areas within Pakistani territory and are stronger than ever.  
• The Taliban and other Islamic extremists have grown in strength and Musharraf has proven unable to diffuse the situation, in part because elements in his own military are supportive of them.
• The New York Times revealed last week that at least $5 billion in U.S. aid delivered to Pakistan since 9/11 to fight al-Qaida and the Taliban actually went into weapons systems against another U.S. ally, India.
• The removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry last March for political reasons.
• The imposition of martial law in November, suspension of the 1973 constitution, the jailing of civil rights leaders, lawyers and judges, and the curbs on electronic and print media. All initiated without any consultation or notice to allies in the United States.

The disclosure that Benazir Bhutto had been preparing to show two visiting U.S. lawmakers evidence that the Election Commission and Pakistan's most powerful security organ were planning to rig the election ought to sound the alarm. Especially when recent polls show that the Pakistan Peoples Party would win in a landslide.  

It’s time for Common Cause members and US civil society leaders to stand up and speak the truth. Instead of praising Musharraf, President Bush and the American people should tell him that we will no longer tolerate his obvious lies. Blind support of President Musharraf stains our conscience, impedes the work of civil society leaders in Pakistan, and damages our reputation and our ideals.

To learn more, please email Lauren Coletta at lcoletta@commoncause.org.