Washington, Feb. 10 :    Washington, Feb. 10:  Whatever else may be true of visits by Pakistani leaders to Washington, one thing must be said: they pick their dates with panache. Nawaz Sharif was here three years ago on July 4, America's independence day, to sign on the dotted line as demanded by Bill Clinton, agreeing to withdraw from Kargil. Now Pervez Musharraf is to visit the US capital on a trip which is being referred to as the Pakistani general's 'Valentine Day tryst' with President George W. Bush. Like Sharif, who arrived in Washington two days before Independence Day, Musharraf is landing here two days before Valentine's Day. But he has a full day of engagements in this city on February 14. Musharraf's trip has been an eye-opener - but for the wrong reasons - even as arrangements are being made to receive him in the White House on Wednesday. Notwithstanding all the hype about Pakistan as a close ally of the US for half a century, it has come as a surprise to many in the Bush White House that there has been no 'state visit' by this close ally to Washington for 13 long years. The last state visit was made by Benazir Bhutto in 1989 in the full glory of her rise to power as an elected leader after 11 dark years of General Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship. Like Musharraf now, Sharif made an 'official visit' three years ago, but in rcumstances which no self-respecting political leader could be proud of. Four months later, he paid the price for it by being thrown out of office. The second eye-opener is the 'Americanisation' of the presi dency in Islamabad, ending a quarter century of Islamisation of the institution started by Zia and followed, however reluctant ly, by Benazir and Sharif be cause of political compulsions. Starting yesterday, Mushar raf is having a three-day presi dential retreat in Boston before getting down to some hard bar gaining with Bush in Washington. Like US Presidents who go every weekend to the mountain ous seclusion of Camp David, or in the case of Bush, an occasion al foray to his ranch in Texas? Well, almost. Except that quite unlike the well-appointed surroundings at US presidential retreats, Musharraf is staying in a rented room in the only hotel in Canton, a small town about 25 km from Boston. Why Canton, whose only at tractions are whaling, which Musharraf is unlikely to in dulge in, and punting, which is now too cold to be enjoyed even if the general and his wife Begum Sehba were interested in trying? The small town off Boston has been chosen for Musharraf's three-day 'private stay' in the US because it is home to his son Bilal, who lives there with his wife Iram. Bilal shot into brief fame after his father usurped power and was severely criti cised in the US, especially in the liberal precincts of Harvard, where he was a student then. Bilal wrote a treatise titled 'He had no choice' about his parent, defending the coup. It was picked up worldwide by media outlets as the anguished cry of a son in defence of his fa ther who was being 'unfairly judged'. Bilal, who has now opted out of Harvard and is working as a chartered accountant, once again had a brief tryst with fame when he became associated with the music group Junoon. The association was short, but it helped rehabilitate 'the Pakistani band with a global message of peace', which was an outcast during Sharif's days in power. Junoon, among other things, was accused of hobnob bing with enemy India. Bilal, at least for now, has no plans of going back to the coun try which his father rules. He has become a 'resident alien' in America, which means he has a green card. His wife works in a bank in Boston and together they bought a two-bedroom house in Canton recently. Should Musharraf be over thrown, as dictators often are, he would have no difficulty finding a roof. A roof in America, for that matter, would be no problem for Musharraf. The general will be joined during part of his Boston retreat by his brother Naveed, who is a doctor in Chicago, his wife and two daughters. Naveed has been practising medicine in the US for close to three decades, but his profession is somewhat a misnomer since the rise of the brother in uniform to the top job in Islamabad. Naveed has been, for two years now, Pakistan's chief unofficial lobbyist in the US. Easily, he is also the most important Pakistani in this country, with access to the White House, Capitol Hill, indeed, any part of official America, since September 11. So, what will Musharraf's retreat be like? Actually, even the Americans are keeping their fingers crossed since they have never had the experience of a Pakistani President taking a break, however deserved, in the US.