Pakistan must justify its reluctance to go after the Haqqanis: Musharraf
The talk at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which started 40 minutes after the scheduled time as Musharraf was reportedly held up at meetings on the Hill, began with Musharraf recapping the events in the region since 1979. Musharraf said the Soviet Union wanted to get “to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean through Balkanisation of Pakistan.” Musharraf said Pakistan and the United States, after 1979, did jihad in the region and trained mujahideen to fight against the Soviet Union. Faulting the US for abandoning the region in the early 90s, Musharraf said the mujahideen later went on to form al Qaeda.
The former president said that aspersions were being cast on the top leadership of the Pakistan Army and the ISI. He said the ISI, which is “so maligned now”, had lost 350 personnel in terrorist attacks, and had been helped save a lot of lives around the world by being instrumental in disrupting global terror plots.
Vis-a-vis allegations of ISI supporting the Haqqani network, Musharraf said there may be a difference in tactical handling and opinion in the ISI, but that cannot be used to cast aspersions against the Army and the ISI that they were arming the Haqqani network to attack US troops in Afghanistan.
Musharraf also took the speech as an opportunity to lambast the current leadership of Pakistan, saying, “No government elected through elections has done good governance in Pakistan.” He added that Pakistan has a dysfunctional government and is facing economic collapse.
Highlighting the civilian casualties in Pakistan over the years in terrorist attacks, Musharraf said that the United States’ refrain to “do more” was “very annoying for people in Pakistan”. He added that relations between the United States and Pakistan were at its lowest ebb, which was unfortunate. In his speech, Musharraf said that the United States must also make clear as to what kind of Afghanistan they’re leaving behind when the withdrawal takes place from the region in 2014.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2011.
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Rationalist eh?!! You are Naive man! (or Ma'am, whatever) Guys like you vote for Zardaries and Sharifs of this world. You get what you vote for.
@Rationalist I do not know whether you are an Indian or a Pakistani. But Musharraf for sure speaks sense, this is the reason he is one of the highest paid speaker in the world. He has rating among the international community as well among the poor people of Pakistan who miss his era. Go to streets and ask the common man.
Long live Musharraf - long live Pakistan.
Musharraf is need of thee hour. mushi please come before March 23, 2012 and save us. Poor silent majority is with you, they do not want to go with the foolers anymore.
@Qureshi:
"When he talks people listen to him, because he talks logic"
No, people listen to him because they find his "logic" very comical and hilarious.
@asasa:
"musharaf was the best leader in pakistan"
We should then pray to Allah to save Pakistan.
Rumsfeld was right when he said "a fool who does not know what he does not know, who speaks what he does not know, and who believes he is the greatest know-it all, is the most dangerous fool in the world".
Musharraf please enough is enough! You had your time , go fishing or start reading a book. Your an old chap!
Pakistan was attacked during the invasion of Afghanistan multiple times, not directly by the soviet forces but by the afghan air force with the soviet-supplied and supported fighter jets. Acutually Pakistan used its F-16s the very first time in combate when soviet provided Afghan air force fighter jets intruded pakistan's air space. Musharraf was right to point out the real objective of Imperial USSR. USSR would not need anything from invading poorest of the poors Afghans. But the actual objective was to reach Arabian Sea since USSR did not have any warm water ports. Luckily and thanks to the British foresightedness, Pakistan did not share the international border with USSR. otherwise, certainly Pakistan would be attacked and invaded by soviet ground troops first. Fortunately, USSR could not stabilized its grip over Afghanistan to think about the next ultimate nefarious goal of invasion of Pakistan.
@me2 agreed with you cent per cent. same sentiments here
Indeed Musharraf is a great leader. When he talks people listen to him, because he talks logic. The problem with him is that he is not hypocrite, looter, corrupt or a fooler, which are must to be a successful politician in Pakistan. Unfortunate for Musharraf as well as for Pakistan.
jiyee musharraf!
they way he talks about Pakistan is also very annoying. what ever is going on now in Pakistan is the man responsible for this is Mr. musharaf
Musharraf was the best aand remains the best leader of Pakistan. I wish to see him ruling the country once again to put country on the right track.
Love you Musharraf.
Didn't he just call Haqqani, 'Sahib', and claim earlier it wasn't in Pakistan's best interests?! And what happened during all that time when he was in power and failed to dislodge them?
Flip flop much?
Go away already. Your duplicity is appalling.
Today 'Dawn' had reported on a BBC program that is about to air. They have Afghan leaders who told Mushy that Osama was in the Abbottabad area back in 2006. The location they had was only 12 miles away from where he was eventually found. Mushy totally refused to pursue the matter.
Another example of his dishonesty and back stabbing. Just like he started Kargil when a peace agreement was almost ready to sign.
Stay away - don't come back. You have done enough damage already.
No wonder this guy hired a lobbyist at 25000 per month, thinks he can convince the world he was bliend. His answer he was 500% sure he did not know is interesting
the guy needs to come back.SALUTE to masusharraf. PAKISTAN needs him. Join parties with Imran khan and that would be great. Pakistan would back on its feet again
It's unfortunate that, being competent or sincere is a disqualification with most of the Pakistani voters (at least so far). Examples: Ayub Khan (who developed the country so much according to history), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Musharraf, and now Imran Khan. Do I give up? You bet!! Keep them re-feeding PPP and PML-N. That's what they deserve.
His duplicity has caused immense carnage in the region, Kargil to Kabul. At his watch the country was pawned to Arabs. He should be tried in ICC. Why the stupid Americans letting him roam free?!
musharaf was the best leader in pakistan
The current problems in Pakistan are due to the mismanagement of Musharraf. He started the downward spiral and now the nation has to undue all the damage done by him. He made the world see Pakistan as a dictatorship and then he talks about how he tried to fix things. Sorry, 9 years of his dictatorship was enough! We saw what 42 years of Gaddafi dictatorship in Libya ended.
He is second most popular leader in Pakistan after Imran Khan. If both of them join and adjust seats, then few of their candidates will easily save their guarantee money.
The commando please come home and be with the masses if you want to help them or want their support. The remote control politics is not going to help you win the elections. But again who believes in elections general? When you go to US audience you talk like a liberal who had nothing to do with putting OBL in a safe house in your term. Pakistani people may be nive but not stupid to be fooled by remote control politicians/general.
"Highlighting the civilian casualties in Pakistan over the years in terrorist attacks, Musharraf said that the United States’ refrain to “do more” was “very annoying for people in Pakistan”. "
What is very annoying to people outside Pakistan is to highlight civilian casualties in a local insurgency by TTP and trying to palm it of as casulaties in the global war on terror. It is quite disingenuous because Pakistan has EXPLICITLY refused to act against Haqqanis and Afh\ghan Taliban who attack NATO. Further it claims to have banned LeT and JeM while allowing their leaders to blatantly make hate speeches and collect funds.
"The former chief of staff said that the Soviet Union wanted to get “to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean through Balkanisation of Pakistan.” "
Musharraf is just making this up. At no point during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan ever attacked.
Why dont you first answer the same questions. Shame on you for putting Pakistan in this position and then asking questions to Pakistan.
"Musharraf disputed that he did not even believe Osama Bin Laden was in Pakistan for a total period of 5 years, and said that he was 500% sure that he did not know." Imagine what would be the case when he is only 100% sure!!!!
"“No government elected through elections has done good governance in Pakistan.” emphasized text" Since Pakistan had military government for most of its existence, such governments must have been elected other than by elections! I hope one day he expands on that theme. The man is simply brilliant!. He may not be a successful commando, but, boy, does he have an incisive mind or what!
The former chief of staff said that the Soviet Union wanted to get “to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean through Balkanisation of Pakistan.” You would think that the propagandists would not believe their own propoganda but well, whatever helps you fall asleep at night.