Shah vs Musharraf

"When the challenge to the Shah arose we procrastinated too long", he told me late last month, "I think we should have fished or cut bait more quickly, either making a clear choice to support the Shah in some effort to repress the opposition or to prevent Khomeini from coming back.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C19%5Cstory_19-11-2007_pg3_3

The radical chic of both present day Pakistan, and the then Iran, both sided with the Islamists. The radical chic in Iran was not anti-nationalistic, but when the Shahanshah died, and the military sided with the Seyyeds, Iran was lost. The flag changed, the national anthem changed. Iran became an Islamic Republic. At the time I said, Iran has now become another Pakistan. These two Islamic Republics both put Islam above nationalistic values. Now if you ask any Iranian then and now, you will find that they put the Spirit of Nowrooz over and above Islam. Khomeini tried to ban Nowrooz. Iran as a nation and Empire consisted of Pakistan. As Iranians we go back at least 7000 years. The Pakistani people should do the same as the Afghanis, and trace their ancient roots, and seek the secular nationalistic foundation, and not act as an upstart young nation with no heritage and just revolutionary fervour. This revolutionary fervour has been used by the US military and peak oil advocates, to find a reason to be in West Asia. If the Shahanshah was not poisoned, and had recovered, the Seyyeds would not have been able to hijack Iran and run amok. As it is, the people of Iran have now learnt what the Shahanshah meant by the alliance of Red and Black. The Seyyeds have had to resort to Iranian nationalistic virtues in order to attract the public interest, by playing the nuclear card. But the people know that the Seyyeds put Islam above Iran, and they want to siphon the oil to prepare for the return of the 12th Shiite Emperor. Ironically the Spirit of Iran is more in Iranians' minds than ever. People gather and celebrate Iranian festivals much more than any Islamic ones. Iran will become a new Iran and the whole area will find its proper roots. Maybe then ZB and his ilk will realise what the history of the area is.