WASHINGTON, Nov 17: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has ruled out any further discussions with PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. In an interview to Washington Post published on Saturday, Gen Musharraf said he was a “fighter” and would not take her challenge to him “lying down”.

The president said his message to the US was clear: “Pakistan comes first, and there are certain realities on the ground -- extremism and terrorism -- that made me decide to go with the emergency law.”

When asked about a timeframe for lifting the emergency, the general said: “I don’t know,” but added that he was “thinking about” it. Gen Musharraf said he had restored transmission of several private television channels that had been blocked, although dozens of others remain off the air.

“Yes, I have let people out and let some stations back on. But anyone who breaks the law of the land will be back in jail or restricted,” he warned.

The Post noted that Gen Musharraf’s critics say the emergency would make a legitimate election impossible. But he said: “If under the guise of emergency we put political leaders in jail, then yes, we are hampering elections. But that’s not what is happening. We need emergency law for peaceful conduct of elections, so there won’t be any violence and suicide bombings.”

Gen Musharraf said his only regret had been his loss of public support and failure to win the understanding of both Pakistani and foreign news media, which he said should join him in his fight against terrorists.

“Did I do the right thing? Yes. If I was charming and a good leader in the past, what went wrong? It wasn’t that I changed. People say I am a dictator. If I am a dictator, I don’t know what kind of dictator I am. I am the strongest believer in democracy. I brought democracy to Pakistan and I still believe in it. Why is the media on the side of the terrorists?”