In an interview with NDTV on Tuesday, Musharraf said that the Pakistani perspective is that Dawood Ibrahim is a man to be held in high esteem and that the “situation is complicated”.
“They (Pakistanis) think that he did a very good job… Because Indians killed 3,000 Gujrati Muslims… Therefore, Ibrahim reacted. So he is held in high esteem. This is what happens in Pakistan.”
India believes that Ibrahim masterminded the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai in which at least 250 people were killed and 700 injured.
Musharraf added that he does not think that terrorism is an appropriate reaction to the Gujrat massacre, but maintained that Indian and Pakistani perspectives on Ibrahim are different.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2011.
COMMENTS (81)
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Looks like Gen Musharraf has 'no idea' about much else besides Daoud Ibrahim's whereabouts.
A. History- Gujarat happened in 2002 and Daoud carried out blasts in 1993. But according to Gen Musharraf Daoud 'avenged' Gujarat. Strange indeed.
B. Geography- Apparently the Gen did not know where the LOC was located in Kargil.
C. Constitution of Pakistan- Article 6 defines a coup as treason, yet the general enacted a coup while under oath to uphold the constitution.
D. Terrorism- He had no idea about OBL, Haqqani Network and Quetta Shura.
Let us forgive him, for he knows not many things.
Too bad India doesn't have the guts to take out Ibrahim on their own.
We are PhD in the field of "Denials". The whole world says and accepts that there are safe heavens but we don't agree. Of course this is our right to disagree unless someone else comes clothed in STEALTH and get their mission accomplished. We love it and that is it.
Mr Musharraf, should have been tried for treason and cowardice for fleeing Kargil ( after surreptitiously occupying it ) and leaving behind dead bodies of Pak army soldiers, unclaimed and abandoned.
Dont be surprised if Pak army names the next missile bought from China or Korea as "Daood". That would truly reflect the character of Musharraf and those he represents.
@Najeeb Mujahid:
A few years here few years there is not a big deal for Pakistani Generals. Anyway it was a "pre emptive" strike. Just look at his name, "Daud" and "Ibrahim." You think he could not see the future? He also knew that Mush will defend him in 2011!
@hamid: "If I make a list of the terrorists help by India. This short space wont allow me to do so." Please do that. ET is generous enough to provide you with ample space. Better still write a blog, but do not level charges without evidence. To all others What Musharaff meant was Pakistanis love DI because he does such a wonderful invisible act. They know he is there., they see him and yet they don't see him! (Strategic asset)
@call me crazy: If I make a list of the terrorists help by India. This short space wont allow me to do so.
Shame!!. A former president of Pakistan justifying the terror acts of a world recognized killer. I strongly believe until such persons with unjustified vengeance hold important positions in pakistan, India-pakistan peace process remains a joke.
@Larry: Dear Pseudo-Larry (=actual Pakistani), get your facts right... 'Sub-Continent .... recently by British' - You forgot to mention Egyptians, Mayans, Africans, Japanese, Americans and god knows who all but you also forgot that it was the land of Aryans and Dravidians who were on this land before that' and off course your text books and that 'laal topi' would have even quoted to you - 'Hindu Zionist killed the Muslims who were prehistoric creatures to occupy the Indian land today which are given to Muslims by Allah himself!!!'
For those who are exaggerating number of people, Hindus and muslims, killed in Gujrat riots should know that in India free judiciary and political parties verify everything. You can easily know how many people died from the number of people/families who come forward to claim compensation . Gujrat riots victims got compensation from both federal and state government. Those compensation is paid by the unpolitical bureucracy and all numbers and facts are public. Also remember more than 100 Gujrati policemen from Modi's government sacrificed their lives and were killed in trying to protect people, hindus and muslims, from rioting mobs. Just last week, courts in India sentenced many people to prison sentences, who were found guilty of rioting. Mr Musharraf should be ashamed of his venal logic and criminal argument.
@BruteForce You are correct about reference to Babri Masjid related muslim killings and ignorance of Mushy to that. I don't think ignorance is the worst crime of Mushy though.
BTW, I wonder what do Pakistani laws say about revoking citizenship. I am wondering if Pakistan would consider stripping Mushy's citizenship and deporting him back to Delhi if it turns out he was damaged Pakistan's national interest by supporting terrorists and even hiding them on the mean streets of Karachi.
@Najeeb Mujahid:
"So, Gujarat riots happened in 2002 and the Mumbai blasts happened in 1993. So, how does Musharraf think Dawood avenged Gujarat in 93?"
Good point. May be because Dawood Ibrahim had a premonition of what was going to happen nine years later and thus decided to take revenge in advance!! Or, may be Musharaf had that premonition and asked Dawood to carry out the terror attacks.
@Mirza: "Pakistanis did not know about DI or OBL and his presence in military town".
It maybe true that Pakistanis did not know about OBL living in garrison town. But Dawood Ibrahim's daughter is married to Javed Miandadt the cricketer. Dawood openly roams in Karachi. So it is incorrect to say that Pakistani establishment is unawae about DI whereabouts. Pakistani establishment also knows the whereabouts of JeM founder Masood Azhar and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed. It allows them to openly fund raise under the cover of charity organizations for recruiting, arming and traiing anti-India militants. So unlike anti-US activities are supported clandestinely, anti-India activities are supported quite openly.
Deadwood..plz enjoy your retirement in UK.
Don't blame Musharraf. He is only telling truth. It's just that the meaning of 'right' and 'wrong', good and evil, is different in Pakistan than rest of the humanity.
For all Indians with love and just to make facts and figure straight - please read your own Indian newspapers and you would know how many Muslim children, women and men were killed and butchered by Hindu mobs (the real numbers are in thousands) and how many Muslim villages in Gujarat were completely razed by these blood thirsty Hindu fundamentalists. Even Muslim cemeteries were destroyed and with state backing were paved over by asphalts in days to eliminate the evidence completely. Please see Tahalka.com or similar news media reports.
Sub-Continent (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) was always ruled by outsiders, Moguls, Muslims from central Asia, Afghans, Arabs, and Iranians and recently by British........... So please live with peace and harmony and enjoy your freedom before a new set of rulers take over this region once again. Especially for Indian Hindus this freedom shall be something to respect to a high esteem! If anything happens they will be the biggest loser. Cheers!
Hindus have as many and more grieviences against the Pakistan state than Muslims may have againt Indian state. Now imagine a Hindu , kills hundreds of innocent Pakistanis in Pakistan , because of alleged crimes against Hindus in Pakistan and then flees to India. Can you imagine an Indian president or Prime-minister , serving or retired, saying that they hold the killer of Muslims in high esteem because he allegedly took revenge for killings of Hindus ?
Unless Pakistanis understand the sheer venality and criminality ingrained in Musharraf's argument and the evel it represents, there is little hope for Pakistan. Think again.
Shame on you dictator, you never understand the people of Pakistan. We strongly hate and condemn a terrorist responsible for terrorist activities in our neighbours house.
@Ishtiaq - Let's for the sake of discussion agree that there are 500000 terrorists in Kashmir employed by India government. By the same logic then one can say that bulk of Kashmiri population are terrorists as they drove the 700000 Kashmiri Pundits from Kashmir and killed another 300000 who are indigenous people of Kashmir. And should that assumption be a correct one? No it's not because we know atrocities committed by few thousands of militants does not represent the entire Kashmiri population. Similarly atrocities committed by few army personal does not represent Indian government or army policy for Kashmir.
@bahraini:
It”s people like you who are a threat to democracy and freedom. You use your right to comment but when others state their views that you don’t agree with you want them banished. That’s hypocrisy.
Please read again what I wrote. I didn't ask for Musharraf to be banished i asked for these terrorists and gangsters to be banished!
No Dawood Ibrahim is not held in high esteem by Pakistanis! Most of us don't care what is or isn't going on in Gujarat, India because it is not in our country. Maybe Musharraf cares about what is going on in India since his family comes from India but you forget most Pakistanis are native and not from India. We do not support Dawood or any other Indian criminal regardless of his religion. Musharraf is out of tune with Pakistanis which is why he should stay in London.
@ishtiaq: The cycle ov violence was started by your people when they killed kashmiri pundits you seem to forget that.
@ Najeeb and all others who seem to jump in and comment without knowing anything!
Gujrat had multiple riots. In 1980, 1982, 1990, 1992-93 and so on. Unfortunately when a Muslim gets massacred, we tend to ignore it. Dawood is just the creation of these unjust massacres of innocent muslims in India with no justice for the victims.
About the same situation Pakistan is facing because of drone strikes that kills 10s of civilians just because their neighbour was a terrorist.
Be reasonable and neutral and you will find answers to your confusions!
@Natasha: Do you know Javed Miandad? They are in-laws.
@najeeb,
Gujrat had multiple riots dude. The first one was in 1993. Go get some high school histroty lessons please!
A shameful statement by the former President backing a known terroist accused of killing innocent civilians in India.
@SalSal: Why don't you ask your government to admit that you brave man ? You should help your government with your gift of commonsense.
@Ali: The spirit of your comment is what makes some people still believe that perhaps peace is possible in future. But i have an irritant there. Did you use the word -------- " IF". " If this guys is in Pakistan ............... ". I like it when a Pakistani talks like that. Because i believe this is what Pakistan is all about. I tell you Ali, i am not among those " some people " i mentioned in the first line. I find good relations with Pakistan very very difficult. We are so natural enemies, aren't we ?
Absolute Crap ! both acts were perpetrated by terrorists who deserve no mercy.
How can our dumb head barkha dutt (NDTV) can accept the explanation given by Musharaf that Mumbai blast (1993) was the result of Gujarat Riots of 2002 ???
Wait, 1993 bomb blasts happened 10 years before any riot in Gujarat. How can Pakistanis admire Dawood because of that?
I think what he meant to say is the 1991 Babri Masjid demolition, or it was a misquote.
OK, even if Pakistanis think Dawood avenged a collapse of a building, at the end of the day, by killing 300 innocent Indian citizens, many of them Muslims and among them women and Children, then they do deserve what they are getting today. Karma is a you-know-what!
@SalSal:
Name one leader who is in India. Even Pakistani Government hasn't made such accusations, even its military hasn't when Musharaff was at the helm. Please do tell us how do you know this when the Pak Government itself does not.
@Fasih Khan:
So, China kills Muslims in Xinjiang. I dont see no "Terror Reactions" on that front. The reason is simple: hate. Who ever is anti-India and kills Indians is popular in Pakistan.
Taliban have killed more Muslims, that too in Mosques, than India ever can, but still Pakistani politicians refuse to condemn them. Get your priorities straight and dont you dare interfere in our affairs.
@SalSal: So I don’t understand what’s the big deal in Pakistan giving shelter to Dawood. Is that a confirmation that Dawood, indeed, is in Pakistan? Mian Musharraf, the ex-President of Pakistan caught lying again! That will be all. Thank you!
Only a Criminal would hold another Criminal in high esteem.
Pakistanis hold a wanted Criminal by Interpol in high esteem? And you guys still wonder why the rest of the world consider you to be the epicenter of terrorism.
@SalSal:
Sir, Dawood is in Karachi right now. So tell me where all these "Baloch separatists leaders and pakhtun separatists leaders" are in India.
@Ali: Completely Agree these few irritants shouldnt be encouraged on both side to create trouble for normal people.no act of voilence can justify terrorism, I appriciat the view and thought of Ali.
Musharraf being the former President of Pakistan hence his statement shows the mindset of people of this country and no wonder they are suffering a great deal from those (since Dawood is a declared terrorist) whom they hold in high esteem. A shameful statement which needs to be condemned by all especially Pakistanis.
This guy stated officially as a President that both OBL and Dawood aren't in Pakistan. And all the while both of them were under army protection. Dawood was in fact moving around openly.
@Ali: It"s people like you who are a threat to democracy and freedom. You use your right to comment but when others state their views that you don't agree with you want them banished. That's hypocrisy.
@Najeeb Mujahid: "So, Gujarat riots happened in 2002 and the Mumbai blasts happened in 1993. So, how does Musharraf think Dawood avenged Gujarat in 93?" You had to go and rake up the truth, didn't you? In such matters, logic does not work!
Mushraff should use the word Pakistani's sparingly, because he definetly doesn't speak for me or anyone else, Pakistani or otherwise, who has any respect for Human life.
Also for someone who claimed to shout slogans of "Pakistan First" and who as yet to return in 3.5. years, Musharaff is hardly the best Barometer to ask who or what Pakistani's hold in high esteem. The fact that he is still being interviewed by Tv channels is absurd because Mushraff is irrelevant in Pakistani politics and deservingly so.
Musharraf has gone senile. How can he say Ibrahim is held in high esteem, who gave him the authority to speak on the behalf of the Pakistanis. We certainly do not hold an underworld don in high esteem. Musharraf should only speak for himself.
All this "non-state actors" garbage is unraveling now. It is obvious that the powers that be were very aware of what these non-state actors were up to.
No one cares about Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan ... Sir are you just trying to be in the lime light or what? We really respect you for what you have done for our economy, education and media besides other developments but I find it really appalling to read some of your statements. May be its because you are from previous (Zia's era) generation? @call me crazy: Well you said we sheltered OBL & DI ... do you have any proof for that? Or just because one of those people were in Pakistan that means we sheltered one of them? Why don't you blame India for letting him get away? after all he was living in India wasn't he? Why don't you guys blame your previous government then instead of baseless saying we shelter him just because your media says so. Regarding OBL He was living in Afghanistan and the people who came to get him, didn't block his escape route at a time when over 3 million people were crossing over to Pakistan through our eastern border which was not manned by any security personnel in last 65 years or so. Why didn't those people who claimed to have spent trillions of dollars and were observing every moving thing via satellites, let him escape that easily? Regarding Gujrat riots ... its not about how many thousand innocent people got killed but the real problem is How come a sitting chief minister ordered his security agencies and police to sit quiety and watch only when some innocent civilians were getting killed .. leave alone the religions aside, Why is that person still in government and not held responsible for his crimes? and why are people still voting such beast? After all isn't that the same reason Saddam & Qadafi got killed?
@call me crazy:
Bro - Of course People like Mushraff don't speak for us just like People who massacred Muslims in Gujrat don't speak for India
What Najeed said. Does anyone know?
Only till a couple of years ago I didn't even know who Dawood Ibrahim was...never mind holding him in high esteem.
Well India provides shelter to Baloch separatists leaders and pakhtun separatists leaders in India. So I don't understand what's the big deal in Pakistan giving shelter to Dawood.
A snake reamins a snake. The only time its handler realises it is when he is bitten.
So, Gujarat riots happened in 2002 and the Mumbai blasts happened in 1993. So, how does Musharraf think Dawood avenged Gujarat in 93?
We do not hold any terrorist in esteem... maybe Mushy's generation did but the younger generation do not... If this guys is in Pakistan and is going to be an irritant in our relationship with India we should send him back... people who cause trouble in our neighbouring countries should not be welcomed in Pakistan as this is against our long term national interest. It is in our interest that our neighbours are peaceful and prosperous... if there are people amongst us who do not wish our neighbours to be in peace then we as Pakistanis should act ot have them removed from our society and we should dissassociate with them.
Our friendship with our neighbours should be held in higher esteem and given more value than these good for nothing gangsters and terrorists!
India's Terrorist Actions have Terrorist Re-Actions. As Simple As That.
btw in gujarat riots 254 hindus and 794 musims were killed,the figure of 3000 is preposterous,violence was a 2 way street.
hey pakistanis dont take my comment the wrong way many of u are nice people but seriously when a country provides shelter to the likes of OBL,dawood ibrahim ect,do u really blame rest of the world when we call ur country the international sponsor of terror.