Musharraf justifies relationship with Israel

RAWALPINDI: Former president and head of the All Pakistan Muslim League General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has justified having relationship with Israel saying “why we should buy enmity when the Arab countries themselves had been developing friendship with that country.”

In an interview with Geo News anchor Salim Safi, he said he had introduced changes with regard to policies towards Israel. Asked how he became near and dear to Mossad, he said: “We had decided to improve ties with Israel with the speed the Palestinian peace plan moved ahead. In accordance with that policy, I had addressed the American Jewish Congress and requested the Turkish PM to arrange a meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Israel.” To a question about Indo-Pak ties, he said his government approached towards a solution of the Kashmir conflict through back channel diplomacy. “A lot of progress was made but it went into doldrums with the defeat of Vajpayee in the elections,” he said.

“We had discussed withdrawal of troops from Siachen and the issue of Kashmir was also taken up. It included talks on three stages. The first being withdrawal of troops and the next was granting internal autonomy followed by making the Line of Control irrelevant.” He said through back channel diplomacy he held talks with Manmohan Singh also and it is wrong to infer that the Pakistani establishment was unaware about it.

Musharraf defended his adventure over Kargil saying that had positive effects because after that episode India had agreed to talks over an issue that it had avoided for the last 50 years. When asked about the war against terrorism, he said no body had created the Taliban. The onus had fallen on Pakistan because the then interior minister used to call them his children. Recalling the accusations that he was playing double game with Washington, he explained that he was serving Pakistan’s cause, neither for America nor for the Taliban. “Just to salvage the country, I launched jirgas to alienate Pakhtuns from the Taliban and that had created misunderstandings in America.”

“This is wrong that after 9/11, Gen Mehmood had gone to Kandahar and advised the Taliban to keep standing firmly. Instead, the General, Ulema and members of the Council of Islamic Ideology were sent to convince them. Gen Mehmood was transferred from ISI because of nearing retirement, not due to playing double game,” Musharraf insisted. He set aside the notion that the army had organised the Jihadi outfits. “On the contrary they had come into existence under government policy. It was because of Kashmir that Jihadi organisations had been coming into existence,” Musharraf said. He said the lower strata of the American leadership were against him, not the top leadership. “They were of the impression that I was playing double game with them.”

He said he was unaware that the US or the army had accorded no objection for his removal by President Zardari. To a question about Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, he said he speaks lies over TV. “Documentary proofs and pictures are available with regard to his deals with Iran and Libya. They were also shown to Dr Khan.” Likewise, he said, Dr Khan’s photographs, along with his front men in Libya and Malaysia, are also available.

“Dr Khan is telling lies although I have saved him,” Musharraf said, adding: “Because of him I had confronted pressure from world over which demanded his handing over or permission to investigate him by intelligence agencies from different countries. I foiled all those attempts.” Musharraf said not a single agency was allowed to probe Dr Khan and we conducted the entire investigation process.

When asked how Dr AQ Khan could have carried out the alleged activities without cooperation from the generals, he said none of the generals were involved. He said Dr AQ Khan had his own security and he also handled financial matters. “His cargo was never checked. Everything is possible when he was in charge of every thing and had all the powers.” He said he never handed over a single Pakistani to America, nor he knew about Dr Aafia Siddiqui. “On the contrary her mother used to pray for me,” he said. “Those mentioned in my book as being transferred to US, were foreigners and their own countries were not ready to receive them,” he added.

“With the grace of God I have no problem to run the party,” he said when asked did he have sufficient funds to run party affairs. When asked where from he acquired that much of money, he explained “my lectures are not a charity, they earn handsome amount and take me world over”. He said the agency that plans lectures for him also does for Bill Clinton. He avoided answering when asked how much he gets from lectures but said the amount is handsome. “My friends are also a source for funding,” he said.

About the National Security Council created during his tenure, he said, that could block the imposition of martial law in the country. “In the absence of a forum where the army could express itself, it would come out through its action.”

About claims made by General (retd) Ziauddin Butt, Musharraf said they are baseless. In fact, he said, General Butt himself had destroyed the whole game.