South Asian Outlook : An Independent e-Monthly | Glimpses: A Night with former Pakistani President Musharraf

Former Pakistan President Musharraf with
Sonia Ahmed (L) and Ayesha Gilani (R)

A Night with former Pakistan President Musharraf

Sonia Ahmed
President of Miss Pakistan World

My heart was racing non stop when I landed into Washington DC. Miss Pakistan World 2009, Ayesha Gilani was anxiously waiting for me. After all it was her City- the capital of United States. It was my first visit to Washington D.C, even thought I had been around in Maryland, USA last year. I was going to meet the man who gave me the power to do Miss Pakistan World. I was going to meet The President of Pakistan - Pervez Musharraf!

There are no words to describe what I had felt. My emotions had gone wild. As Miss Pakistan World, Ayesha Gilani and myself, reached The Westin Hotel in Arlington DC, we both had butterflies in our stomachs. As soon as Ayesha's red Mercedes convertible reached the hotel, we looked around and saw around 10 men, protesting against President Musharraf's arrival. We stopped our car and made sure that they saw us and booed them as loud as we could.

Those men were stunned. These were two girls against 10 men! The feeling was out of this world. They kept on saying "Go Go Musharraf," and we kept on saying, "We LOVE Musharraf." Shamelessly enough the scene was as such: There were two women against those 10 Nawaz Sharif Supporters. One of the supporters asked me whether I was Punjabi. Hmm.... Race is what matters to the supporters of Nawaz Sharif. I laughed at him and said yes, I am and then his predictable reply was, "Then you should not support Musharraf." Ayesha Gilani is from Lahore, Pakistan who is also a Punjabi. Anyways, we continued booing them and made a mockery out of them. We used them for fun and that is what got them mad as we kept clicking pictures of ourselves booing Nawaz's posters that were held in their hands.

They could not bare it at all. It was their chauvinistic attitude falling into pieces.

Well, when we had enough we went upstairs and within a matter of seconds, the great man himself was just behind myself and Ayesha (as he came from the same route). We froze as he was just a foot away from me and we grabbed that opportunity and both of us ran up to him and shook his hand as much as we could. Time froze and all I remember was marching behind him, imagining him to be the Piep Piper. His scent, his height, his tanned skin, his aura, his broad shoulders, his smile, and his twinkling eyes, made me and I'm very sure Ayesha Gilani go weak in the knees. I touched him.... I can't still believe that the man I dreamt of meeting was with me.

The dinner began, the speeches were amazing and then finally in the end I got an opportunity to meet him, face to face, shoulder to shoulder and got more pictures taken. That night is a night that I will never forget in my life. A man with such an incredible stature, attitude - demanding, commanding and yet humble and highly mannered. A man who had so much power in him, that I felt his power within me. This was a dream come true and Allah answered my prayers. I met the most incredible man in the world, a man worthy of great honour and respect. I love you President Musharraf and will always do!