Musharraf opposes troops withdrawal

Said that the region should be established before setting a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.

WASHINGTON: Former President Pervez Musharraf has opposed the Obama administration’s decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan. In an interview with the Voice of America, Urdu Service, Musharraf said that before setting a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the region should be stabilised first.

“Security situation in Afghanistan is still poor and the world community should keep playing its role rather than withdrawing forces from the country,” he said. Musharraf claimed that a consensus had been evolved between Pakistani and Indian leaderships to resolve the Kashmir dispute during his tenure. In this context he cited the visits of the Kashmiri leaders to Pakistan, which India had never allowed before. About President Obama’s India trip, Musharraf said he should also have visited Pakistan, a key ally in the war against terror, to see the devastation caused by recent floods.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2010.