My strength is that I don't change: Musharraf

Musharraf says that he had asked the Pakhtuns to reject al Qaeda and the Taliban after 9/11.

Former President Pervez Musharraf during an interview on Express 24/7 show 'Faceoff with Munizae Jehangir’ said he had asked the Pakhtuns to reject al Qaeda and the Taliban after 9/11.

Musharraf denied that he had removed General Mehmood or General Usmani from their positions while also refuting that General Mehmood had relations with al Qaeda.

However, he said that he had sent religious leaders to Mullah Omar to convince him to give up Osama bin Laden.

Concerning drone strikes, the former president admitted that US drones were allowed inside Pakistan but their use was limited to surveillance only. He said that no permission was given to carry out strikes.

Musharraf also denied allegations that he had handed any Pakistanis to any other country. He said that foreign extremists were caught and returned to their countries.

On Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the retired general said ex-Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s allegations that Musharraf wanted to hand over Khan to the US are completely false.

He said that what Dr Khan did, damaged the image of Pakistan, while he also denied that the military was involved in nuclear deals with North Korea.

Musharraf also asserted that no Pakistani scientist or anyone else was ever interrogated by a foreign agency. He said that all interrogations were carried out by ISI and other national interrogators.

The former president said that the US should not try to micro manage affairs of Pakistan, referring to demands to go after the Haqqani network. He said that the Pakistan military knows full well how to deal with extremist groups and it should be left alone to do it on its own terms.

On relations with India, Musharraf said that he was the only man who was able to get India to discuss the Kashmir issue. He said there was a time when India would not allow the issue to be even talked about in the United Nations even.