Pakistan's Musharraf friends, foes in Facebook fray

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pervez Musharraf is gone from the presidential palace but he is by no means forgotten on the vast Facebook on-line networking site, where friends and foes are fighting over his legacy.

The former army chief gave up the presidency last week, nine years after coming to power in a coup, rather than face an impeachment battle most analysts said he would have lost over charges of misconduct and abusing the constitution.

Welcomed by many Pakistanis in the early years of his rule as a force for stability and economic progress, most turned against Musharraf after a series of political missteps that began with the dismissal of a popular chief justice in March 2007.

But not everyone is happy he's gone.

Some Facebook users say they appreciated his liberal economic policies and efforts against extremism in a country rife with violent militants. His fans include a number of young Pakistanis, many of them expatriates.

"Thank you for all that you have done for this nation and its undeserving people," wrote Seema Ahmed from Los Angeles.

Facebook fan Sherbano Ahmed said: "If we as the silent majority don't speak up this time, then we would have surrendered our decency and freedom to thieves".

The idea that Western-style democracy is what nuclear-armed Pakistan needs also comes under fire.