ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday termed political reconciliation the need of the hour and said the ongoing dialogue process with political leaders was a step in this direction.

“It is the need of time that there is political stability, political reconciliation and national consensus on issues confronting Pakistan,” President Musharraf told a select gathering on Pakistan Television’s programme Aiwan-i-Sadr Se.

“No doubt there is a dialogue (going on), and it should be with everyone,” President Musharraf said when asked about the reported ‘deal’ with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The president said he preferred to call it a dialogue instead of the word ‘deal’ which had ‘certain negative connotations’.

He said there was a desire for a democratic set-up in the country instead of the past practice when he used to ‘select’, adding that people could now elect leaders according to their choice.

He said national interests demanded political reconciliation, and without it, the national economy could take a turn for the worse. He said in the run-up to the general elections, it was all the more important that there was no instability.

“I hope that all the political parties will keep Pakistan’s national interests supreme, ensure that there is no political destabilisation ... Let there be free and transparent election, so that we can move towards national and political reconciliation.”

He said the country faced several challenges, including internal threats of terrorism and extremism while there was a need for broader understanding to ensure that economic development continued.

When asked about the agreement with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the president said: “He was a convict and was awarded life imprisonment ... He requested on his own and approached me and it was arranged that he left the country for 10 years.”

He said the agreement was arbitrated by a very important personality, who is held in high esteem by Pakistani people.

The president said it was because of the dialogue that both Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif were able to leave the country and then go for medical treatment abroad.

He said for achieving political reconciliation “there is a need to forgive and forget the past because of present political scenario and (the need) for moving ahead.”

He said notwithstanding someone’s likes or dislikes about the present leadership, it was important that “all are on board to help the country face the present challenges”.

Highlighting his government’s achievements, President Musharraf said when he took over, corruption and nepotism were major issues and he was given three years, adding that he activated the National Accountability Bureau and recovered billions of looted money.

President Musharraf said that the creation of the National Security Council was aimed at providing an institutional arrangement to ensure sustained democracy and avoid future military takeovers.—APP