Musharraf claims he 'internationalised' Kashmir case

Claiming that he was the only Pakistani ruler who "internationalised" the case of Kashmir and came near striking a resolution on it, former President Pervez Musharraf has said the issue is "critical" to solving the problems of the region.  Speaking at an event organised at the House of Commons recently, Musharraf dismissed the charge levelled by Lord Nazir Ahmed that he betrayed the cause of Kashmir.  

Musharraf said he was the "only ruler in the history of Pakistan who internationalised the case of Kashmir and came near striking distance of its resolution."  

"The issue of Kashmir is critical to solving the problems of the region and with Kashmir festering, no resolution of the current problems will be achieved," the former military ruler was quoted as saying by The News.  

Advocating holding talks with "saner" Taliban elements to achieve normalcy in Afghanistan, Musharraf said there was no choice but to get engaged with them who could be brought back to the negotiating table.  

"Anyone who thinks you correct Pakistan and everything will be hunky dorey is absolutely wrong. You correct Afghanistan and everything will be fine in Pakistan," the paper quoted him as saying.  Musharraf said he wanted to remove the biggest mis-perception in the West that the Pakistani army and spy agencies double dealt with the Taliban. Answering a question on the United Nations inquiry into former Premier Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Musharraf said "he was confident that the UN inquiry would add nothing to what was already known or unknown."  

He said calling for an international inquiry on her murder showed "immaturity of leadership" as it reflected that Pakistanis don't trust or have any confidence in their own national security agencies.  

"What did the well known Scotland Yard team find out"? remember they were seen on Murree road with all these modern gadgets? What did any achieve? Nothing."  He said what Scotland Yard came up with was known to him three days after Bhutto's assassination.  

He said any individual or group taking up arms in the name of Islam or for imposing their will on others must be defeated.  

During the interaction, the former President did not criticise the Supreme Court's decision to acquit Nawaz Sharif in the plane hijacking case but said that he stood by each and every word that he said and wrote about the plane hijacking case in his memoirs.  

With regard to Akbar Bugti, he said that no state can allow its writ to be defied.