ISLAMABAD, May 24: President Gen Pervez Musharraf described on Friday the current standoff between India and Pakistan as “dangerous,” but hoped good sense would prevail on both sides to defuse tension.
“But, certainly, the tensions are high and it’s dangerous because India has massed its troops on the border — army, navy and air force. So, they have the capability of undertaking any adventurous act,” he said, vowing to defend every inch of the motherland, if attacked.
The president said this responding to a question about chances of all-out war breaking out by Riz Khan in BBC World’s ‘HARDtalk Pakistan,’ aired in the evening.
Musharraf hoped war would not break out. “Nobody — no sane person would like to go to war.”
Asked how far he was willing to take the fighting, he declared in categorical terms: “If we are attacked, we’ll certainly defend all the way, with all our might. We certainly would defend every inch of Pakistan.”
Responding to a question about the success of diplomatic means to defuse tension, Musharraf said: “We hope that first of all good sense prevails on both sides between India and Pakistan.”
Moreover, he said, the United States is playing a role and “all that I would like to say is that we would like to cooperate, certainly, because we don’t want war.”
But, the president warned, “let war not be thrust on us, then we will defend.”
Responding to a question about the reasons behind the escalating tension, he said, it (tension) started with the attack on the Indian Parliament. “There was a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, an act which we condemned,” he added.
But, Musharraf said, the Indian government acted in great haste, “rather, in an irresponsible fashion.” They massed all their troops and raised their ante, he added.
“We reacted to it, of course, and all our army, navy and air force were also put on alert. Since then, we are maintaining the highest alert,” he said.
About the attack on Kaluchack army camp, the president said he would like to condemn this act because it involved killing of civilians. “There is no doubt in our mind, killing of civilians — in a bus or a barrack — the families of military men, is condemnable.”
To a question regarding unilateral withdrawal of Pakistani troops from advanced positions, he said “that may be quite dangerous.”
He said: “I would say if we are going to withdraw I would not try to do that unilaterally. We have taken so many unilateral actions which hold reason enough to deescalate but that did not happen.”
But, the president said, “Now if we withdraw and suppose that there is some adventurism from the other side, we wouldn’t be there on border, at all. We will loose territory and that is not acceptable.”
Responding to a question on the probability of an Indian attack in the wake of renewed Pakistan-US ties, he said he believed in defending oneself. “We will defend ourselves if we are attacked against any aggression. We cannot bank on anybody else.”
REFERENDUM: About holding of referendum, Musharraf said it was necessary to hold referendum to check the degree of destablization caused by political activities that preceded the October elections.
Moreover, he said there was a likelihood that we would go to the pre-99 era of unhealthy politics — a politics of loot and plunder — which had to be arrested.
He said the only way to do so was to come himself into the fray and let the people decide if they wanted him as their leader and supported his agenda of reforms and restructuring. “If that is — if that comes out through the referendum loud and clear — the political environment would change subsequently.”
The president termed the assessment of low turnout by few as “ridiculous,” adding that official quote is 56 per cent and that is where it is. In this context he referred to his mass contact campaign and the massive response of the people in support of continuation of his reforms agenda.
Those misleading the people about the outcome of the referendum were the ones who wanted to destabilise the country and to revert to the pre-99 era of loot and plunder, he added.
ELECTIONS: To a question on the forthcoming elections, the president held out an assurance that it would be very fair and totally above board.
He said the elections were extremely important in the light of the essence of real democracy that he wants to introduce. “We’ve already started it with the local government elections and the local governments in place.”
To a question about real democracy that he intends to introduce, Musharraf said he had always been saying that real democracy had never existed in Pakistan. “We have had elected governments, all right, but that is not real democracy.”
CORRUPTION: On rooting out corruption, Musharraf said two-and a-half years are not enough really to change the social order in a country.
He said: “Now there is a political environment in the country. The National Accountability Bureau is functioning very well. It has its own courts; we don’t have any military courts to speed up the process.”
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