Bonn won’t produce solutions: Musharraf
All Pakistan Muslim League chief and former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that the Bonn conference will fail to produce any ‘magical’ solutions to the Afghanistan imbroglio.
According to a press release issued by the party from Dubai, Musharraf said in a television interview that the whole world was at a loss as to who was leading the Taliban and who held sway over them.
“Who is the real commander of the Taliban? This is an important question. Is it Mullah Omar or Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or Sirajuddin Haqqani? Who should be talked to? Then there are several other groups in Pakistan. So it is not an easy process,” he said.
About the November 26 Nato air raid on Pakistani outposts in Mohmand Agency, Musharraf said, “Pakistan should take action but avoid military confrontation while getting guarantees from the United States and Nato forces.”
The former military chief claimed that Pakistan had the right to possess nuclear technology as the country had serious security issues and a neighbouring country that had not accepted its freedom and sovereignty completely.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2011.
COMMENTS (19)
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@ gp65
If what you say is all true, which by the way is not the case. How come then, the Khaki is blamed for actually being in the driving seat even when there are, dubious graduates, convicted felons, looters, hijackers and pardoned criminals sitting in the assemblies and the government.
He himself knows ... no one pays a heed to his talks... I wonder why is he not returning to Pakistan instead .... what happened to his Party he was forming ?? he made big noise about returning ... Ask him to stay in the mess he created instead of people of Pakistan staying in the same ... Bravado has broght people like him and Pakistan to what it is today ....
Who gavepermission to US to fly drones from Shamsi airbase? Military leadership led by Musharraf Who asked US to vacate Shamsi airbase? Elected civilians
Who entered into war on terror with terms totally unfavorable to Pakistan? Military leadership led by Musharraf. Who is reviewing the terms of engagement to ensure there is fairness? Elected civilian government
Article 6 is brought into question when constituyion is abrogated. Did Musharraf, Ayub, Zia abrogate constotution? YEs Has anyone tried to prosecute them or their supporters under article 6? No. Did Hussai Haqqani abrogate constitution? No. Yet there is talk that he should be tried under article 6. Just because he is a civilian and Musharraf was a military leader
If you go back a little - who laid down arms leading to 90000 Pak soldiers in Indian jails? the military leaderhip. Who negotiated to bring the soldiers back with honor without conceding anything to India? Elected civilian leadership.
Who started the Kargill war and lied about it? Military leadership. Who partnered with Washington to bring the war to a close? Elected civilian leadership.
Why do people assume that military people are automatically patriotic and civilians are automatically unpatriotic when the facts clearly do not support that?
pakistan's best way forward is miimise contact with usa , preferably none and maximise with China - this is in fact what Imran is planning - ref his recent visit to Beijing
Mullah Omar or Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or Sirajuddin Haqqani is not the spokesman for the Taliban. It is Pakistan.General Musharraf knows it as he has created this mess in his ten years rule.And Pakistan's spokesman is now not Musharraf. God bless Pakistan as they do not have this dictator. If he wants to comment on the Pakistan affairs, he should come to face the criminal charges in Pakistan.He should clear his complicity in the death of Baluchi leader Buguti.
Good advice! But as we always take refuge in the blame game; we won’t like to hear the person who took decisions in the best interest of the country in that time & space when we could have become a part of the collateral damage
@SalSal: I'm not afraid of religion; I'm afraid of how our society interprets it and the greater consequences of this excess use of religion. And anyhow, you used your right of speech to rebuke me, why can't I use mine? Take my advice: take a day off from whatever you do, and see how wrongly deep-seated religion has become in Pakistan. You'll agree with me at the end of the day. Hint for a start: Go through your Phone inbox or facebook statuses and count how many of those say "forward this to this many people and you'll get good news" or "I just posted this verse from the Quran as my status, post it as yours too and become a soldier of Islam." Know what this is? Hypocrisy at its worst.
Musharraf is 100% correct. He is a true statesman. World listens to him, so shall we. I do not think that we can find a better leader from the current slot than Musharraf.
@patriotic Keep your fear of religion to yourself. You are no one to decide if a person is a hypocrite or not just because he mentioned Allah's name in his sentence.
This is good solid advice coming from a person who still has his finger on Pakistan's pulse and the problems faced today. The irony is that we find it most convenient to blame him for the shambles that this government has created. Its not Musharraf but we, the nation (the majority) who are to be blamed for not casting our votes when it was time. The solid waste that has found its way into Government positions that matter is the result. This too is hypocrisy ........ to observe elections day as just another holiday and then expect capable, honest and sincere people to be returned to the assemblies. It doesn't work that way.
Dear Musharraf, your kids live in US, you should move closer to them. Just saying!
@bravo: your very act of writing (Naozobillah) is an indicator of how deeply this country has involved religion in everything to the point of no return. Even statements as basic as yours have just got to be "verified" and attested by some name of god or some related islamic statement, according to our hypocritical and misplaced sense of religion. This hypocrisy is what is striking at the very core of this nation's reasons of existence. I know this comment is a digression but it needed to be brought up.
All those my Emotional Pakistani Friends, Musharraf is right, military confrontation with US is not a good idea, if they just block your trade for one month and compel others/Europe to do so, our children will die with hunger.
Forget China, they also see their own interest in all ties.
Now, don't say Iran - Iran has the 4th largest oil reserves in the world, their case is different.
He is the person responsible to put Pakistan in this trouble. May God give him some piece of courage and understanding. He must undeerstand that America is not GOD (Nauzobillah).
If Musharraf has said it won't, then it damn surely will succeed going by Mushy's record of goofing up big time..
Musharraf cannot say anything against NATO, or they will kick him out. He cant go back to Pakistan since they will arrest him. Tough!!