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Pakistani president urges 'holistic' approach to fighting terrorism
By Diana Samuels
DAILY News Staff Writer
Posted: 01/16/2009 11:14:42 PM PST
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf staunchly defended his country's reputation and said the fight against terrorism needs to focus on eliminating its root causes, in a speech at Stanford on Friday afternoon.
Terrorism is often caused by poverty and illiteracy, he said. But many of the terrorists responsible for major events such as 9/11 were neither poor nor illiterate. Their anger came from hopelessness and powerlessness in the face of unresolved political disputes, he said.
"The anger and frustration among Muslim youths is exploited by groups following misrepresented views of Islam, and they indoctrinate them," he said.
The international community needs to fight those root causes "with sincerity and a lot of vigor," he said, by helping developing nations fix socioeconomic problems while allowing them to govern themselves.
Using military force in the short term is essential, Musharraf said. But "military only brings you time," he said. "It cannot give you the final solutions."
Musharraf frequently defended his country's efforts in fighting al-Qaida.
"They are Pakistan's enemies as much as they are your enemies," he said. "Don't have any doubts on that."
Musharaff described a "malicious campaign" against the reputation of his country's army and intelligence operations.
"You do so much, yet there are claims of not doing enough," he said.
To defend his country, he described Pakistan's long struggle with terrorism, beginning with its U.S.-aided fight against the Soviet Union with Afghanistan in the '80s. After the Soviets were defeated, the region was left "all alone" by the West, he said. The armed, trained fighters from the war coalesced and formed al-Qaida, he said. Then, when the Taliban emerged in the mid-'90s, they pushed 4 million refugees into Pakistan, he said.
"Pakistan's social fabric got torn," he said. "And all this had to be handled by the army, the government and the intelligence organizations of Pakistan. No help from anyone."
And finally, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, the Taliban and al-Qaida hid in the hills of Pakistan.
"Please support us," Musharraf said. "Please understand our problem. And please encourage us."
Following his speech, Musharraf answered questions from the audience. The session was punctuated by a few angry questions that were often followed by applause.
After one woman asked critically how much control Pakistan's government has over the country, Musharraf asked where the audience member was from. When she answered India, he laughed, saying, "I knew that."
Musharraf addressed the conflict between India and Pakistan, urging India to handle the situation with "magnamity."
"Let India not be a big country with a small heart," he said.
Stanford freshman Jeff Gerson said he was surprised by the passion of his fellow students when they asked Musharraf questions. The audience, many of whom were from South Asia, seemed very polarized, he said.
"Almost more interesting than the speech was to see how the students reacted," he said.
Alok Bhide, a Stanford master's student, said after the speech that while he thought Musharraf generalized and twisted some facts, he was impressed by the president's candidness.
"I thought it was pretty good," he said. "He was pretty honest, he wasn't controlled when he spoke."
E-mail Diana Samuels at dsamuels@dailynewsgroup.com.
By Diana Samuels
DAILY News Staff Writer
Posted: 01/16/2009 11:14:42 PM PST
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf staunchly defended his country's reputation and said the fight against terrorism needs to focus on eliminating its root causes, in a speech at Stanford on Friday afternoon.
Terrorism is often caused by poverty and illiteracy, he said. But many of the terrorists responsible for major events such as 9/11 were neither poor nor illiterate. Their anger came from hopelessness and powerlessness in the face of unresolved political disputes, he said.
"The anger and frustration among Muslim youths is exploited by groups following misrepresented views of Islam, and they indoctrinate them," he said.
The international community needs to fight those root causes "with sincerity and a lot of vigor," he said, by helping developing nations fix socioeconomic problems while allowing them to govern themselves.
Using military force in the short term is essential, Musharraf said. But "military only brings you time," he said. "It cannot give you the final solutions."
Musharraf frequently defended his country's efforts in fighting al-Qaida.
"They are Pakistan's enemies as much as they are your enemies," he said. "Don't have any doubts on that."
Musharaff described a "malicious campaign" against the reputation of his country's army and intelligence operations.
"You do so much, yet there are claims of not doing enough," he said.
To defend his country, he described Pakistan's long struggle with terrorism, beginning with its U.S.-aided fight against the Soviet Union with Afghanistan in the '80s. After the Soviets were defeated, the region was left "all alone" by the West, he said. The armed, trained fighters from the war coalesced and formed al-Qaida, he said. Then, when the Taliban emerged in the mid-'90s, they pushed 4 million refugees into Pakistan, he said.
"Pakistan's social fabric got torn," he said. "And all this had to be handled by the army, the government and the intelligence organizations of Pakistan. No help from anyone."
And finally, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, the Taliban and al-Qaida hid in the hills of Pakistan.
"Please support us," Musharraf said. "Please understand our problem. And please encourage us."
Following his speech, Musharraf answered questions from the audience. The session was punctuated by a few angry questions that were often followed by applause.
After one woman asked critically how much control Pakistan's government has over the country, Musharraf asked where the audience member was from. When she answered India, he laughed, saying, "I knew that."
Musharraf addressed the conflict between India and Pakistan, urging India to handle the situation with "magnamity."
"Let India not be a big country with a small heart," he said.
Stanford freshman Jeff Gerson said he was surprised by the passion of his fellow students when they asked Musharraf questions. The audience, many of whom were from South Asia, seemed very polarized, he said.
"Almost more interesting than the speech was to see how the students reacted," he said.
Alok Bhide, a Stanford master's student, said after the speech that while he thought Musharraf generalized and twisted some facts, he was impressed by the president's candidness.
"I thought it was pretty good," he said. "He was pretty honest, he wasn't controlled when he spoke."
E-mail Diana Samuels at dsamuels@dailynewsgroup.com.
