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Agno a separate thread has been opened on this above news so Kindly move that thread to here.
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Taliban should be recognised: Musharraf
ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - President Pervez Musharraf has said the best strategy against the Taliban is to recognise them and try to change them from within. He sought a change of strategy in Afghanistan, favouring ‘political overtures’ to win over the majority Pashtun. President Musharraf said this in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel on Tuesday.
“When I came on the scene in 1999, I told everyone, including President Bill Clinton that the best strategy against the Taliban is to recognise them and try to change them from within. Nobody agreed.”“Then they came the problems with Osama bin Laden. Everybody asked me to help the West to get him arrested or deported, but by then it was too late. I sent four or five missions to Mullah Omar to resolve the problem,” he added.
He referred to Democratic Presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama who have vowed to take a tougher stance towards Pakistan and said “all these politicians you have mentioned do not have access to intelligence information that could provide them with an accurate view of the situation.”
“When these people get access to that kind of intelligence, I am sure they will not take a different approach than their predecessor.”
Musharraf, who described US President George W Bush as a ‘friend’ he will ‘miss very much’ after his tenure ends, said he would never allow US forces to operate on Pakistan’s soil.
He also said Pakistan’s nuclear assets are ‘safe’, terming as totally baseless the concerns of IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
Musharraf while dispelling the impression that Al-Qaeda could seize Pakistan’s nuclear assets ruled out the possibility of fanatics taking over the country.
“One thing is for sure; the fanatics can never take over Pakistan. This is not possible,” Musharraf said
President Musharraf held Al-Qaeda responsible for carrying out terrorism in the country’s tribal areas and masterminding suicide bombings, but rejected it was strong enough both militarily and politically to get an overall command. “They are neither militarily so strong that they can defeat our army, with its 600,000 soldiers, nor politically - and they do not stand a chance of winning elections. They are much too weak for that,” he said.
The President ruled out the possibility of individuals inside the army or the ISI sympathising with religious fanatics that could infiltrate nuclear system. “The ISI does not handle any nuclear issue at all. They have nothing to do with it.” Of covert operations by United States in Pakistan’s tribal belt, President Musharraf said, “I would never allow American forces to operate on Pakistan’s soil. If we need support, we ask for it. It is we who are operating, nobody else.”
Musharraf said Pakistan and the US fully shared coordination on anti-terrorism, and mentioned his recent meeting with US intelligence officials who conveyed him that President Bush considered President Musharraf 'a most sincere friend'.
On Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the President said he was sure the 'militant extremists' killed her as the voice of Baitullah Mehsud had been tapped expressing satisfaction over her death. About contradictory reports on how Ms Bhutto’s was killed, he said one should never give a final statement until investigation had been finished. On doubts about transparency in general election, President Musharraf said international observers had been invited in this regard.
When asked whether he would be willing to work with opposition leaders like Nawaz Sharif or Asif Zardari, who publicly accused the government of being responsible for Ms Bhutto’s murder, President Musharraf said, “I am ready to work with whoever wins.” He said he was ready to work with any opposition leader because national interests should reign supreme, besides ensuring continuity of economic progress and fighting terrorism.
On the change of command in the army, President Musharraf said if the army chief works in total harmony with the president and the prime minister, the three could do the job better than one.
Counting on the loyalty of army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, he said, “There is something even stronger than personal loyalty - loyalty to a cause, for a vision. Kayani and I share that vision on Pakistan, on the Taliban, on Al-Qaeda, on politics, on human rights and on the media. We are two of a kind.” He termed economic revival as his government’s greatest achievement, besides curbing terrorism and extremism. The President said things perhaps had gone better, but there was still a lot to be done on these fronts.
Asked did he considers himself the next possible target after surviving two assassination attempts, President Musharraf said, “Shots either hit you, or they do not.” He said he had been lucky that assassins did not get him, adding that he always took measures for his safety and knew how to protect himself.
Asked if any circumstances could lead to his resignation, President Musharraf said, “Believe me; On the day I think the people, the majority, don’t want me any more and the day I think I have no contribution to make to this country, I will not wait a second. I will leave.” About the new US government and possible change in political course with Pakistan in view of presidential candidates’ statements supporting US operations in Pakistan, President Musharraf hoped that when the new US government gets access to intelligence, it would not take a different approach than its predecessor. “Why would they want to do something to destabilise us, a nuclear power? They will not act against their own national interest,” he said.
When asked what should be done for the stability of Afghanistan, President Musharraf said Afghanistan had always been ruled by the Pashtuns and a majority of 55 percent could not be ruled out. “There should be a change of strategy right away. You should make political overtures to win the Pashtuns over.”
The reason that there is no huge all out operation is that the army wishes to prevent civilian casualties.
From a Pathans perspective if a family member is killed by someone else they are bound by honor to avenge that death. It makes sense for the army to exercise caution or there would be alot of pissed of people.
The Nato forces in Afghanistan can pack up and leave when they are done and Pakistan cannot as this is on home turf yet another reason to exercise caution.
Furthermore most of the foreign miscreants who are arrested are refused back to their home countries so Pakistan has to deal with them.
I hope that soon the army and the paramilitaries deployed can end things once and for all but as you can see the situation is quite complicated.
It is incredible we have so many terrorist sympathizers here. Have you noticed the stock market recently? Did you know that FDI flows are currently negative? Not even our "deeper than the seas" friend is investing in Pakistan! People put their money where their mouth this and it's not Pakistan.
Stop treating these terrorist sympathizers like naughty boys. Every day they convert a few dozen more recruits willing to blow themselves up.!
this proves conclusively Al Qaeda's homeground is in Pakistan and not Afghanistan. They are funding the Mehsuds and their surge of weaponry and recruits.!
This is very serious. I remember many here in denial since many years ago. First people here (including Jana, who is supposed to be some kind of respectable journalist, hah!) claiming there is no Taliban, then claiming the tribes would not join Taliban, there is no Al Qaeda, there is no infiltration into Peshawar and other cities, they would never get as far as Rawalpindi, there would never be bombings in Lahore, the Pakistan army will get rid of them promptly, etc etc !
We are on the brink of an abyss and most of you continue to act like donkeys!
No body is sympathizer of terrorist we all are against terrorists.
rest the bad situation is not the outcome of one day nor Pakistan is solely responsible for them.
we had been and i say we will be victime of proxies in the furture too, hence we need to learn more tactics.
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Yeh yeh they are here in my colony too.
So why dont you join your Afghan breathrens to attack us
About Mehsud indeed he is being funded by Al-Qaeda, India and super power.
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Many years ago ??? You mean you heard us saying so many years ago on the forum ??????????/
Get a life
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Dont know why you had seen your reflection in us
What about declaring the current LoC as the de-facto border and calling it a day on the eastern front? India is hardly in a financial state to engage anybody in warfare. I don't think Pakistan risks invasions or incurrsions, the main risk from India comes in the form of exaggerated response as seen in 2002 (I'm not by any means underplaying what the terrorists who shot up the Parliment did).Mr. Concerned:
Do you think that Pakistan can afford to divert resources into FATA without a comprehensive peace with India?
Pakistan’s premier military intelligence agency has lost control of some of the networks of Pakistani militants it has nurtured since the 1980s, and is now suffering the violent blowback of that policy, two former senior intelligence officials and other officials close to the agency say.