NEW DELHI: The former Pakistan President, General (retd.) Pervez Musharraf warned of many more Kargils and Siachens if the Kashmir issue was left unresolved.
At times ducking questions at the India Today Conclave on Saturday night, he was also emphatic and agitated, especially when asked whether the present Army chief General Pervez Kayani was correct that the Taliban was Pakistan’s strategic asset. But Gen. Musharraf only nodded when a Parliamentarian ticked him off after he listed their “ill treatment” as a factor bedevilling India-Pakistan relations. “Aapki nasihat ki zaroorat nahi [We don’t require your counsel],” he was told by Lok Sabha Member Mehmood Madani.
He did not want to comment on Kargil as it was a very sensitive issue but went on to observe that Siachen and Kargil were linked to the Kashmir issue and warned that if the “story went on” there would be more Kargils and Siachens.
Gen. Musharraf blamed “some forces behind the scene” for twice sabotaging an agreement in 2001 that would have formed the basis of durable peace. “The draft of the declaration was done at the highest level – me, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jaswant Singhji. We did that draft. Unfortunately, some forces behind the scene sabotaged that. We attempted twice.”
The former Army chief denied that the Taliban could be a force multiplier for Pakistan. “This is a lie. He [Gen. Kayani] cannot say that. I challenge them to show me the proof. His words have been distorted. How can we say something we don’t believe in?”
There was no danger of the Taliban taking over Pakistan politically because it was confined to a very small part of the country.
At times ducking questions at the India Today Conclave on Saturday night, he was also emphatic and agitated, especially when asked whether the present Army chief General Pervez Kayani was correct that the Taliban was Pakistan’s strategic asset. But Gen. Musharraf only nodded when a Parliamentarian ticked him off after he listed their “ill treatment” as a factor bedevilling India-Pakistan relations. “Aapki nasihat ki zaroorat nahi [We don’t require your counsel],” he was told by Lok Sabha Member Mehmood Madani.
He did not want to comment on Kargil as it was a very sensitive issue but went on to observe that Siachen and Kargil were linked to the Kashmir issue and warned that if the “story went on” there would be more Kargils and Siachens.
Gen. Musharraf blamed “some forces behind the scene” for twice sabotaging an agreement in 2001 that would have formed the basis of durable peace. “The draft of the declaration was done at the highest level – me, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jaswant Singhji. We did that draft. Unfortunately, some forces behind the scene sabotaged that. We attempted twice.”
The former Army chief denied that the Taliban could be a force multiplier for Pakistan. “This is a lie. He [Gen. Kayani] cannot say that. I challenge them to show me the proof. His words have been distorted. How can we say something we don’t believe in?”
There was no danger of the Taliban taking over Pakistan politically because it was confined to a very small part of the country.
Mutual damage
Not responding to a question about terrorist camps in Pakistan, Gen. Musharraf felt both sides had done “damage to each other” and was aware of “what the Indian Embassy is doing in Jalalabad and Kandahar. A terrorist from Kabul has been received by Indian intelligence agencies in India and looked after. I have documents to show this. Let us stop the blame game. India is a big country. You try to do damage to us, we will do damage to you.”
The audience laughed when the former President said he did not know if Dawood Ibrahim lived in Pakistan but felt an individual like him was a small issue and his repatriation would not improve bilateral ties.
Speaking at a function organised by industrialists on Sunday, Gen. Musharraf restricted himself to the realm of economics.
In keeping with his desire, the general was shown around the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort later in the evening.
Not responding to a question about terrorist camps in Pakistan, Gen. Musharraf felt both sides had done “damage to each other” and was aware of “what the Indian Embassy is doing in Jalalabad and Kandahar. A terrorist from Kabul has been received by Indian intelligence agencies in India and looked after. I have documents to show this. Let us stop the blame game. India is a big country. You try to do damage to us, we will do damage to you.”
The audience laughed when the former President said he did not know if Dawood Ibrahim lived in Pakistan but felt an individual like him was a small issue and his repatriation would not improve bilateral ties.
Speaking at a function organised by industrialists on Sunday, Gen. Musharraf restricted himself to the realm of economics.
In keeping with his desire, the general was shown around the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort later in the evening.
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