beg the question

[Romel Panzer]

Another bomb that has exploded in his (Musharraf''s) face is the claim that PM Manmohan Singh’s authority to conduct a peace process was ‘withering away”. By making this claim, Musharraf begs the question why he is so desperate to continue the peace talks and why he wants Singh to visit Pakistan at the earliest.

what does the phrase "begs the question" in the above para mean?

[rewboss]

Strictly speaking, when someone begs the question, it means they are trying to prove something on the basis of something which itself needs proving.

Here, Musharraf claims that Singh no longer has the required authority to conduct a peace process. But if that is so, why is Musharraf so keen to have Singh visit Pakistan and continue the peace talks?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by rewboss

Strictly speaking, when someone begs the question, it means they are trying to prove something on the basis of something which itself needs proving.
...

True, but (lamentably, in my view) it is widely used in the way exemplified here, where it means 'invites/suggests/prompts the question'.

b

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by BobK

True, but (lamentably, in my view) it is widely used in the way exemplified here, where it means 'invites/suggests/prompts the question'.

b

Yes, it is now a phrase that is used incorrectly far more often than it is used correctly.