NEW YORK, May 16 Former president Pervez Musharraf has expressed the confidence that Pakistan army will prevail over the Taliban who have challenged the writ of the government, but said that “winning hearts and minds” of people may be difficult.

Talking to some Pakistani reporters at a hotel here on Friday, Gen (retd) Musharraf rejected a suggestion that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan had come to the fore during his watch.

“This was the consequence of the Feb 18 election and the Taliban got strong then as they got a free hand under the new ANP government,” he said. “In my time they were hiding,” he claimed. However, he added, “I am convinced that our army will drive the enemies of the state away but we have to win the hearts and minds also.”

As to how long could such an operation last, he said it was difficult to predict.

Asked about the security of Pakistan's nuclear assets, Mr Musharraf said they were “absolutely secure”, adding that people of Pakistan would never allow anyone to capture them.

When a reporter suggested that when he was president he did everything according to American wishes, Mr Musharraf said “I never bowed before anybody and did everything in Pakistan's best interest.”

In reply to a charge that he was involved in the murder of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and arrest of JSQM (Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz) leader Dr Safdar Saraki, he said “I will not dignify your question with an answer.”

In an interview with CNN, the former president said he would run for office once the two-year restriction expired. According to him, President Zardari with an approval rating of 19 per cent did not have the support to fight Taliban.

“If Pakistan is in trouble and if any Pakistani, myself included — if you can see that we can do something for it — well ... my life is for Pakistan,” he told Fareed Zakaria on GPS.

Mr Musharraf said he wished the government well. “But one is concerned about Pakistan, certainly,” he said. “One does get concerned about where we are headed and what are we doing.”

The interview will be aired on Sunday.