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Interview: Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan
Thomas Dodd JDW Correspondent - London
In a speech to a closed aud¡ience in London at the end of January, Pakistani Pres¡ident Pervez Musharraf outlined his vision for Pakistan and the wider South Asia region while arguing in favour of his country's continued autonomy in defending its own interests.
Musharraf rejected the offer from United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in January to send US troops to Pakistan's troubled Northwest Frontier to conduct joint combat operations, along with any notion of an international guard to secure the country's nuclear assets or a UN tribunal to investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
He referred to the Pakistani people's perceptions about Western involvement in their country: "The man in the street in Pakistan does not want any foreign intrusion ... It's an issue of sovereignty of our country ... So I don't think it is possible that any foreign forces will be allowed into Pakistan. It is militarily unwise and politically I don't think acceptable to the people of Pakistan," Musharraf said.
Although current relations with the US were characterised as "broad based and long term" and "good" at government level, the president spoke of the need to "improve the attitude at the people's level", attributing widespread anti-US sentiment to Pakistan being "ditched" by the West as the geopolitical strategic focus shifted to a Euro-centric perspective. Trade sanctions had only served to exacerbate these feelings, Musharraf said, but he added: "The strategic focus has now shifted back into our region. It would not be in their strategic interest to ditch us now."
Musharraf characterised relations with another major power, China, as "having always been strong". He would not comment on major military procurements or further military co-operation with China; Pakistan has recently started production of the JF-17 fighter, co-developed with China.
Similarly he indicated that he regards India as a stabilising influence in Central Asia and he believes the rapprochement between Pakistan and India is developing well. "The relationship has never been as good as it is now," he said.
Although reports indicate that the troubled situation in northwest Pakistan appears intractable, Musharraf described the strategy of military action against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and an increasingly sealed border, as working "reasonably well". He continued: "We have established 1,000 posts along the border; on the Afghan side there are only 96 posts. And we have fenced selected parts of the border. The result is that today the ISAF [International Security and Assistance Force] commander believes there is a 42 per cent reduction in movement from the Pakistan side to the Afghan side. So, this is what we have achieved."
Referring to activities on the other side of the border, the president stated: "One will have to increase strength there, either in the form of the Afghan National Army or NATO or American forces", as Pakistan has suffered many losses in the Northwest Frontier.
However, when quizzed about his thoughts on a solution to the Afghan crisis, Musharraf said that "military [action] will only give you time and create an environment" and that "ultimate success has to be in the political field.... So here we must go on a political path and also a socio-economic path. We must understand the sensitivities of the majority of the population in Afghanistan and take the socio-economic path also, concentrating on the less-developed areas".
Responding next to calls for international custodianship of Pakistan's nuclear assets, the president said: "Please understand our sensitivity. As the president of Pakistan I would be foolish if I accepted any foreigners intruding into our nuclear [assets]; we guard them very jealously.... We have established custodial controls in accordance with international practices and the only ways they can be endangered are [the foll¡owing]: one, that Al-Qaeda or the Taliban get to be so strong that they defeat the Pakistani army; or two, that they politically get so strong that they win the coming elections. The possibility of [either of these] is zero."
Continuing on the subject of control of nuclear assets, Musharraf said: "We have multilayered custodial controls. The development [of nuclear weapons] is under a secretariat called the Strategic Planning Division; it controls development, finances, security - in fact everything. The handling of the assets is under a force called the Army Strategic Force Command. It has a strength of between 12,000 and 15,000 people. So, the assets are totally under custodial control and there is no possibility of them falling into any extremist terrorist hands."
Musharraf believes that Pakistan has a key role in tackling increasing insurgency: "We are in the forefront [of] fighting terrorism and extremism," he said. "Our success is critical. We have to win. If we lose, it will have an impact on the region and the world ... maybe in the streets of Europe."
The president propounded his views regarding the insurgents' motivation - above all, he said, poverty and illiteracy - and called for increased Pakistani access to EU markets. "Unemployment reduction is poverty alleviation," he declared. "That is the core of fighting terrorism and extremism. So please help us do that."
Finally, in reference to his country's imminent parliamentary elections, Musharraf stated that they would be "free, fair, transparent and peaceful".
Thomas Dodd JDW Correspondent - London
In a speech to a closed aud¡ience in London at the end of January, Pakistani Pres¡ident Pervez Musharraf outlined his vision for Pakistan and the wider South Asia region while arguing in favour of his country's continued autonomy in defending its own interests.
Musharraf rejected the offer from United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in January to send US troops to Pakistan's troubled Northwest Frontier to conduct joint combat operations, along with any notion of an international guard to secure the country's nuclear assets or a UN tribunal to investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
He referred to the Pakistani people's perceptions about Western involvement in their country: "The man in the street in Pakistan does not want any foreign intrusion ... It's an issue of sovereignty of our country ... So I don't think it is possible that any foreign forces will be allowed into Pakistan. It is militarily unwise and politically I don't think acceptable to the people of Pakistan," Musharraf said.
Although current relations with the US were characterised as "broad based and long term" and "good" at government level, the president spoke of the need to "improve the attitude at the people's level", attributing widespread anti-US sentiment to Pakistan being "ditched" by the West as the geopolitical strategic focus shifted to a Euro-centric perspective. Trade sanctions had only served to exacerbate these feelings, Musharraf said, but he added: "The strategic focus has now shifted back into our region. It would not be in their strategic interest to ditch us now."
Musharraf characterised relations with another major power, China, as "having always been strong". He would not comment on major military procurements or further military co-operation with China; Pakistan has recently started production of the JF-17 fighter, co-developed with China.
Similarly he indicated that he regards India as a stabilising influence in Central Asia and he believes the rapprochement between Pakistan and India is developing well. "The relationship has never been as good as it is now," he said.
Although reports indicate that the troubled situation in northwest Pakistan appears intractable, Musharraf described the strategy of military action against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and an increasingly sealed border, as working "reasonably well". He continued: "We have established 1,000 posts along the border; on the Afghan side there are only 96 posts. And we have fenced selected parts of the border. The result is that today the ISAF [International Security and Assistance Force] commander believes there is a 42 per cent reduction in movement from the Pakistan side to the Afghan side. So, this is what we have achieved."
Referring to activities on the other side of the border, the president stated: "One will have to increase strength there, either in the form of the Afghan National Army or NATO or American forces", as Pakistan has suffered many losses in the Northwest Frontier.
However, when quizzed about his thoughts on a solution to the Afghan crisis, Musharraf said that "military [action] will only give you time and create an environment" and that "ultimate success has to be in the political field.... So here we must go on a political path and also a socio-economic path. We must understand the sensitivities of the majority of the population in Afghanistan and take the socio-economic path also, concentrating on the less-developed areas".
Responding next to calls for international custodianship of Pakistan's nuclear assets, the president said: "Please understand our sensitivity. As the president of Pakistan I would be foolish if I accepted any foreigners intruding into our nuclear [assets]; we guard them very jealously.... We have established custodial controls in accordance with international practices and the only ways they can be endangered are [the foll¡owing]: one, that Al-Qaeda or the Taliban get to be so strong that they defeat the Pakistani army; or two, that they politically get so strong that they win the coming elections. The possibility of [either of these] is zero."
Continuing on the subject of control of nuclear assets, Musharraf said: "We have multilayered custodial controls. The development [of nuclear weapons] is under a secretariat called the Strategic Planning Division; it controls development, finances, security - in fact everything. The handling of the assets is under a force called the Army Strategic Force Command. It has a strength of between 12,000 and 15,000 people. So, the assets are totally under custodial control and there is no possibility of them falling into any extremist terrorist hands."
Musharraf believes that Pakistan has a key role in tackling increasing insurgency: "We are in the forefront [of] fighting terrorism and extremism," he said. "Our success is critical. We have to win. If we lose, it will have an impact on the region and the world ... maybe in the streets of Europe."
The president propounded his views regarding the insurgents' motivation - above all, he said, poverty and illiteracy - and called for increased Pakistani access to EU markets. "Unemployment reduction is poverty alleviation," he declared. "That is the core of fighting terrorism and extremism. So please help us do that."
Finally, in reference to his country's imminent parliamentary elections, Musharraf stated that they would be "free, fair, transparent and peaceful".
