ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that it is to be regretted that acts of terrorism abroad seem to have connections with Pakistan one way or another.

“We have to control them. We must finish extremism and terrorism from our society. We must suppress extremism,” he said in an interview with PTV on Thursday night.

He said he had not used his uniform to put in place a dictatorial regime determined to stifle voices of dissent.

“I have not used my uniform for suppression or dictatorial or autocratic rule,” he said, adding that he had decided from the beginning that he would be chief executive and not chief martial law administrator.

“Through my uniform, I have reinforced the judiciary, executive and legislature. I have consolidated all the pillars of state through my uniform. In fact, I have used my uniform for institutional consolidation,” he said.

Gen Musharraf said poverty alleviation and employment generation had been the central plank of his government’s policy. He said poverty had come down from 33 per cent to 24 per cent in the past five years, adding that it would further drop by seven to eight per cent in the next five years.

Answering a question, he said that when he was penning his memoirs, “In the Line of Fire”, he had no idea that his autobiography would be become a bestselling book. He added that there was a great deal of public interest in his book in India and it was being translated there.

He said that through his book he had sought to project Pakistan’s point-of-view on issues like Kashmir and Kargil. He said proceeds from the book would go towards a fund established for the empowerment of the poor.—APP