WASHINGTON: Former Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf hit out on Sunday at Afghan President Hamid Karzai for forging a training alliance with India, saying Islamabad had offered him similar help but been rebuffed.
"We've opened up all our training institutions free of cost. Come to Pakistan and we'll train you. Not one has come. What is his game?" Musharraf told CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program.
Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan as a military dictator and later as a civilian president between 2001 and 2008 said he had been "bending backwards" for Karzai to send people to Islamabad instead of New Delhi.
He said that a phased pullout of US troops from Afghanistan, which is due to be completed by 2014, had pushed Karzai closer to India.
"India is certainly -- certainly doing that. And unfortunately, the Afghan government is going along," the former general said, adding that countries in the region are seeking to fill the void left by America.
"I mean I know that diplomats, intelligence personnel, military men, security people go to India for training," he said.
The former Pakistan leader however praised Karzai for recently stating that Afghanistan would back Pakistan if the United States were to launch a military attack on the latter, a prospect which Musharraf dismissed.
"I think it's totally preposterous to imagine this kind of thing," Musharraf said. "And then I thank him that this is the first time he's made a pro-Pakistan statement."
Musharraf, who has lived in exile since stepping down in 2008 but hopes to launch a political comeback next year, has previously insisted that Islamabad's historic rival India is trying to turn Afghanistan against Pakistan.
India has given more than $2 billion in aid to war-torn Afghanistan and signed a strategic partnership with Karzai earlier this month.
COMMENTS (34)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1713521455-0/Untitled-design-(9)1713521455-0-270x192.webp)
@Indian: The present generation in Pakistan have not been taught, regarding 1971 !!!
@PakiRambo: Do you remember what happened in 1971 when refugees poured into India from east Pakistan? Well let me remind you - Bangladesh came into existence!! Looks as though you are encouraging the idea of Balochistan/Pakhtunistan in 2011 exactly 40 years later! and you talk as though you are a freedom fighter for the Baluchistan or the Pakhtuns..
once again, Musharraf put forth a bitter reality infront of the rightist mindset.
@Irfan: Ok enough is enough let's start by sending all 6+ mil refugees back to Afghanistan or India. I am sure they will be welcome with open arm. Some one needs to ring Ban Ki-moon to take back his Afghan left over back to Afghanistan.
"Send us your troops so we can indoctrinate them with hatred against the whole world but Pakistan!" This man did nothing but harm Pakistan when he was in power yet in exile, he thinks he is somehow effective on Pakistan's foreign policy. Just another cheap shot to get back at Karzai and seek an entrance into Pakistani politics.
@Adeel759,@Irfan after a lot of unnecessary hot air on top the first sober comments. Afghanistan is or hopefully will be a sovereign country once the USA leaves. Let them get their army trained by who they want be it Pakistan ,India, China, USA, Russia........We should only be interested in a stable South Asia . Give the poor in our countries a better life enough of the armywallas.
@Adeel759:
I have heard a sane voice from Pakistan after a long gap.. Good luck bro.. May people like you increase in strength and voice and save Pakistan and Afghanistan and thereby implicitness India and the world..
@Cautious: well they trained SRILANKAN army in our immediare neighbourhood...and many more...if you are not well read of global happenings...try atleast once.
@hamza khan: you wanna bet he’ll be back? :) :) I sincerely hope that he does not! He ran his country like his own personal sweat shop, interfering in judiciary, press freedom just to name a few!
@peace lover: You forgot to mention he was the nefarious designer of Kargil only to loose it later and still have the audacity to say that the Pakistani army was not on the heights and it was the 'freedom fighters' and even more insincere when he went on to say later that they did not loose the war!!
Musharraf is fighting for Pakistan, does not matter in whatever capacity he is. He is a thinker, analytical and truthful. He is the one who handles India in a measured way. Long live Musharraf - long live Pakistan.
@peace lover: You call yourself peace lover and talk about nefarious Indian designs. Some good neighbor you are :D We have no designs except for doing trade with you. Let's trade, do business and peace shall follow!
So let me get this straight. . .
Pakistan supports the Taliban after the over throw of the Afghanistan Soviet supported government collapses; makes life a living hell for ordinary Afghanis, especially women, and Musharraf is surprised that Afghanistan is seeking India's help for military training? The same Pakistan, which is known to play both sides of the coin?
Here's a guy that ought to stop worrying about Afghanistan and start worrying about himself. He may be a patriot of Pakistan, but he has a lot of growing up to do when it comes to understanding the current socio-political climate that is hampering the progress of Pakistan. Believe me when I say this, I want Pakistan to be a successful nation, but it has too many problems internally to be worrying about Afghanistan and India.
He is patriot, no doubt about that. Yet he should steer off the politics. And on training Afghan Forces, I myself being pakistani, pakistan should not have to train them, because we believe less in training but more in indoctrinating, and Pres Karzai, rightfully wouldn't want that. Simple.
Can you really blame Karzai though? Who would want to come to Pakistan to get brainwashed into Jihadi thinking? We can critcise India, but in honest self evaluation though, we know that India has a lot to offer to Afghanistan as they try to build themselves back up. Lets try to sicerely help Afghanistan rather than making a big poliitical deal out of it because of our insecurities. In the end, we would have helped ourselves more by having a peaceful and friendly Afghanistan.
For one thing i am sure he is patriotic there is no doubt in it.
His other statements today included 'Pakistan had a big victory and enormous gains in Kargil conflict' 'Osama never lived in Pakistan or I would have known' and ' there was no terrorism in Pakistan when I ruled'. Yeah right. Just go away. You are responsible for many of the problems we are now facing. Don't come back, please!
@Chulbul Pandey:
you wanna bet he'll be back? :)
@Chulbul Pandey: you say so just because he is a patriot of the first order and has full knowledge of and courage to talk about nefarious indian designs...
In case you didn't know it Pakistan doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to security -- why in the World would any country send there troops to Pakistan for training?
Musharraf should not come back but all Afghani refugees in Pakistan should be sent back or given to India as they always seem to support India but in time of crisis run to Pakistan. Afghanis always want Pakistanis to do their work for them.
Sorry, I did not read what Mr Musharraf said. He is irrelevant in Pakistan and HT should stop giving him free publicity.
And this jealousy, resentment and paranoia is just eating away at Musharraf and like minded hawks...the Afghan-Indian relationship...
Why would Afghanistan train their troops under Pakistan in good faith, when Musharraf clearly rebuffed their own intelligence chief who provided him information of where OBL maybe, on top of which the army and ISI has been exposed as backing the Haqqani network and certain Taliban elements to violently sabotage Afghanistan, causing deaths to Afghans, in their political favour?
It's Karzai and Afghanistan's right as a sovereign nation to choose what they want to do, without Pakistan trying to dictate over them like they're their own backyard.
If you were Afghanistan, would you want to associate yourself with a country with a population of 1.1 billion and increasing global stature or a country that treats you like a colony? Do you really think any country is impressed because we offered free of cost training? If our economy wasnt in tatters that would have been a bigger incentive to cooperate, but instead people seeing the world through there security prism only see enemies and no friends.
Mr. Musharraf
I have a suggestion for you ,Tell young pakistanbi going to US,UK for Higher study that Why spend more money in IVY League ,Just go to university of timbuktu, They are offering free Graduation for Pakistani student , Let us wait and see how many Enroll ?
It doesn't get it to you that Afghanistan is sovereign country and they have a RIGHT to choose what is right for them ,Just leave it to them Dont beat the Drum around the world. That you are offering free training ,By now world has pretty good Idea who is taking advantage of your free training classes
Mian Musharraf, you are a reject, booted out of your own country. You have become irrelevant in Pakistani politics. Isn't it time you stop your rhetorics and enjoy your retirement home in the motherland!
salute you sir. thank you continuing to defend pakistan. our incompetent leadership cannot or will not. patriotic pakistanis like you must take the mantle. pleaase return and help pakistan once more.
Well ,You were training the other side-Taliban and Co.This would have been a case of Conflict of Interest , if you were to train the current government.
Of course, Karzai must have declined the offer!!! Afghans simply did not want to be another Province or Federal territory of Pakistan !!! This has been the objective of Pak Army ever since 1990s.
May be Karzai seeking for Reliable ally.. so chosen India.