Musharraf offers 'no comment' on Kayani promotion, backs Pasha

Former presid­ent suppor­ts extens­ion for Direct­or-Genera­l ISI Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

Former President Pervez Musharraf, refused to offer any insights into the situation surrounding the promotion of his good friend, General Ashfaque Pervez Kayani, to the post of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), but did offer his support to grant DG Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen. Shuja Ahmed Pasha.

Just days after a request for the Red Warrant for his arrest was filed with the Interpol, Musharraf displayed calm, as he gave an exclusive interview to Express News show "To the point”.

Programme host Shahzeb Khanzada, prodded the retired General over the deal that led Kayani’s promotion as the COAS, but Musharraf refused to get dragged into the discussion. “No comments”, he maintained.

When asked if making Gen Kayani COAS was part of the NRO deal with Benazir Bhutto, but that he, Musharraf, did not want to keep his promises and therefore delayed Kayani’s promotion for a month and half, fulfilling his promise only when he was compelled, the former President laughed it off “absolutely wrong”.

He also refused to get drawn into the debate of to whom was Kayani closest, Benazir Bhutto or him. You will have to ask him this, I do not know,” said Musharraf.

“You have admitted that you made some bad decisions, like NRO. Was promoting Gen Kayani as COAS one of those bad decisions?” Khanzada asked. In a calm manner he responded “no comments, I do not want to comment.”

When pressed, “Do you mean to say that it was not a good decision?” Musharraf, paused, shifted a little in his seat, and said “believe what you want to believe.”

I would give Pasha an extension

With the extension of under-fire DG ISI Lt. Shuja Pasha under much debate in the power corridors of Pakistan, Musharraf was asked whether he thought a third term would be in the best interests. Initially he desisted, but then said he would have given him an extension.

“I do not want to comment,” Musharraf maintained, but continued to add, “I want to say that he [DG ISI] is an able and intelligent officer, a straight talker and a person with a very upright character, is a good officer and a good man.”

Reminded the failings of the ISI and the army during Pasha’s tenure, including Mumbai, Mehran base, GHQ attack, Musharraf brushed these aside saying performance cannot be judged on the basis of one or two lapses. Of the Mehran base and GHQ attacks, he said that “they have open spaces, anybody can jump over a wall and get in, its not the DG ISI’s job to provide security to the base … if ten people who are determined can get into the GHQ, jump over a section of the wall and get in.”

The former General then defended his then DG MO, that the ISI uncovered more than 90 per cent of the attacks, and acted very quickly, but no one talked about that. He further described their performance as “excellent organisation, with excellent  performance”.

Reminded about Abbottabad, Musharraf admitted that it was a “big failure”, but continued to defend Pasha saying you could not hold the officer to account on a single lapse.

Khanzada recounted the involvement of DG ISI in the Memogate scandal, Musharraf said that the ISI chief did not need to seek permission like a child, and that he could meet anyone.

Though when asked if Mushrraf were in power, and the question of extension came up, what he would do, the former chief of staff without hesitation said that the extension would be granted.

Malik’s letters another one of his “apples and banana” moment

Asked of the time that Rehman Malik said he wrote 14 letters to president Musharraf to provide security for Benazir Bhutto, and that he (Musharraf) neither provided security nor allowed her to take private security, Musharaf said this one more of the “apple and banana” moments specific to Malik.

He said that as the then president, he was not into the small details but if he had ordered that she should not be provided security she was entitled to, then he can be held responsible.

The jialas had taken over the security, he said, adding that Khalid Shahanshah was doing strange things while standing next to Benazir. Shahanshah was later murdered in Karachi and this, Musharraf ppointed out, must be investigated.

Musharraf said that he called Benazir after receiving intelligence report from a foreign agency, that “BB if you do not trust our agencies, this a foreign report. There are suicide bombers around.”

On suspected US vision for a partnership between Musharraf and Benazir, the former President declined any formal mediation, but the Americans made it evident that they liked Musharraf to continue as President and Benazir as prime minister in the future.

Asked about Saudi influence in the return of Benazir and Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf said that they [Saudi’s] wanted Nawaz Sharif to return once they saw Benazir touch down in Pakistan again. He admitted that while a deal was done with Nawaz, the terms for the deal came through the Saudis who assured that Nawaz will not ally with PPP, not demand restoration of judges and he will not challenge Musharraf’s position as president.

“Saudis said that Nawaz says so, when they wanted the permission for Nawaz Sharif to return while I was concerned that now when BB has come, if Nawaz also comes, there will be turmoil. Then they said this, but there was no written deal.”