Dealing with turmoil: ‘No one can dare challenge Pakistan’
“The army will thwart all challenges to Pakistan’s territorial integrity,” he told the anchor of a private TV channel.
Musharraf said no country, including the United States, should bother to interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs as Pakistanis knew how to solve their problems.
But the former president conceded that there was a growing sense of unease over the current political stalemate. The crisis, according to Musharraf, should be resolved in a peaceful manner.
He said the army was closely monitoring the whole situation. “Just like 1999, the people are once again looking at the army for help,” he said.
He disagreed that it was the right time for re-election. “But it is the real democracy that people have come out of their homes,” he added.
Criticising the former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, he said he had tried to expose him in 2007.
“However, the election commission’s former official Afzal Khan’s statement has unveiled his real character,” he added.
Musharraf claimed that Pakistan’s journey towards development had been had stunted since 2007. He claimed that no one in the country was free from corruption. “However, things will have to be reformed from the top,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2014.
COMMENTS (9)
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@Pity: Exactly. Love that about my people.
@Kamran: Your info is incorrect. Al Gore didn't take the high road in that dispute - he first admitted defeat and then changed his mind which resulted in the recount of votes and the infamous "hanging chad" dispute. The votes ended up being recounted and the dispute did end up going to the Florida Supreme Court which was overruled by the US Supreme Court. Nobody remembers that the "recount" still was in Bushes favor because everyone was focused on the Court rulings. Further - while Gore may have won the overall US vote the electoral college is what counts (which made Florida a key state to win) and that was never an issue up for litigation.
I don't like Musharraf for all the havoc he caused in KPK and FATA, but I agree with his statements here. Actually Musharraf ensured Pakistan's servitude to outside powers in 2001.
Nawaz should stop shooting himself in the foot by following through with his vendetta against Musharraf, but quite frankly the hotheaded general should leave this country in peace already - he had his turn running Pakistan for 9 years and (in my opinion) did a decent job with it, but now it's time for him to call it a day. His indirect calls for the army to interfere will only worsen an already volatile situation.
Thanks God Sir, you brought decency in politics again...In more then an hour interview full with hard questions from most smart anchor you remained cool and calm that shows your high caliber and statures, you are best among all our leadership...we want to see you in power sir for few years to put the country on track. sz
The man who gave us the NRO and subsequently this mess........now sits and pontificates.
There was a dispute in the US presidential election in 2004 when Al Gore won the total number of citizen votes but due to an election process called "electoral college" George Bush got more representative delegates and won. If you are interested just type 2004 US election controversy into Google.
Al Gore could have taken his complaint to the US supreme court but he did not in the interest of not putting the country through the turmoil. This is the behavior of a responsible politician even though he was the sitting US Vice persistent at the time.
Every time I see Imran Khan or Quadri or any politician yelling and shaking his finger, I am embarrassed for our nation. I have never seen a politician behave like that in the US.
@Naveen:
Have you ever seen how Pakistani nation is still standing resilient against all the problems Pakistan is facing right now? If there would have had been any other country in Pakistan's place, it would have had been disintegrated by now. Pakistan's resilience speaks a lot about Pakistan's strength.
ET Please publish.