Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Ulema and Mashaikh Conference here, the president said Pakistan’s armed forces and its people were fully prepared to thwart any aggression with full force.
He asked the Indian leaders to stop making provocative statements and declared that Pakistan did not have to show actions to anybody to normalise relations between the two countries.
“We will not allow anyone to sit in judgment as whatever measures we are taking for eliminating terrorism and religious extremism are aimed at reforming our own society and not to appease anyone,” he stated.
The president regretted that the Indian leaders, specially their defence minister, were making unfair and provocative statements, which he believed would not help improve relations between the two nations.
“Let me use this forum to say that we will not show any action to please India. This public posturing particularly by the Indian defence minister is like becoming more pious than the pope,” the president said.
For the first time he sharply reacted to the demands of the Indian leaders to translate his Jan 11 decisions into actions and said: “We are not here to listen to the dictates of anyone. Therefore, do not spoil the environment to have peace in the region.”
Earlier, he said, he believed that there would not be any war with India. But, he pointed out, that when the Indians actually mobilized their troops on borders and developed a capacity to attack it was an opener for Pakistan. “This situation I feel is very dangerous and needs very careful handling of things.”
“But nobody should have any doubt about our capability and capacity not only to respond but also to strike for which our armed forces have all the will and resolve,” he said.
Gen Musharraf said that real guarantee for peace lay in Pakistan’s own strength and becoming stronger and stronger.
“In case of war our foreign friends may come forward both in terms of providing necessary assistance as well as helping us to conduct dialogue with India, but they cannot guarantee peace and this peace can be guaranteed only when we have a strong defence, will and resolve to fight,” he said.
Spelling out the priorities of his government, the president said that the protection of Pakistan’s strategic capability and improving economic conditions would continue to receiving all focussed approach of his government. “Kashmir cause and protection of our nuclear assets will receive the highest priority and I would want the people to leave both these issues to the government,” he said.
Gen Musharraf pointed outthat the enemy wanted to benefit from Pakistan’s internal crisis and that was why it had operationalised its forces on borders.
He also said that without eliminating terrorism, hatred and extremism, Pakistan could not progress. Time had come when there should be increased investment and more trade activities so that social conditions could be improved and growing poverty contained, he said.
“There is a restructuring of every department but I would say without any hesitation that poor people continue to suffer and their conditions are not improving which is not a good sign,” the president conceded.
“My heart weeps for the poor,” he said, adding that his government had launched a Zakat programme for which Rs2 billion had initially been spent by providing up to Rs50,000 to each individual to help him start his own respectable business and get rid of unemployment.
The government, he said, was making efforts to make available Rs20 billion for Zakat during the next three years and for the current financial year Rs5 billion had been allocated for this purpose.
The president said without peace in the region and without creating the feelings of brotherhood, it would be difficult to remove poverty from the society.
He said Pakistan was an Islamic country where over 98 per cent people were Muslims but they were living by adopting different lifestyles. “We have ultra-modern westernised people who live in bigger cities and then we have religious extremists, but they both are on the wrong track and they should adopt middle path which is the teachings of Islam,” he said.
Pakistanis needed to become progressive and religious-minded but without imposing their opinion on others, he said, adding that people should preach their point of view but without killing and beating others. He was of the view that religious leaders should set personal examples to bring change to the society.
Gen Musharraf regretted that Pakistan’s image abroad was not very good and agreed that performance of ambassadors was questionable. However, he pointed out that unless the country’s internal image was improved, Pakistani missions abroad could not do anything effectively to enhance “our prestige and respect”.
The president called for spreading education and establishing higher institutions specially in the field of science and technology. “Is it not very sad that our GDP is just $65 billion while smaller countries are ahead of us in all respects,” he said, urging the professionals to play their role to make Pakistan economically strong.
He said education and improving the law and order situation were also his government’s priorities and in this regard he called for unifying English and Urdu medium of education and at the same time bringing religious schools to the mainstream.
The president also answered various questions put up by the participants and dispelled the impression that the use of loudspeakers had been prohibited in the mosques. He said that loudspeakers could very well be used for Friday sermons and speeches and that there was no ban on it. However, he said, he would look into the complaint that police were stopping the use of loudspeakers on Fridays.
“I also assure you that there would not be any false case against the people of the religious community,” he said, urging people to shun their differences. “Let us have a ceasefire now.”
The president also called upon the members of the Organization of Islamic Conference to undertake greater political and economic collaboration so that the fruits of development could reach every Muslim state. He stressed the need for establishing educational and technological centres of excellence in OIC states.