Pakistan should 'counter threat' India, says Musharraf

Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said that Pakistan should "counter threat" India, while calling on India to stop escalating tensions.

"India is threatening to strike us at their time which is a serious matter," Musharraf said to a question on the current bilateral tensions between Pakistan and India, at the Washington Ideas Forum.

The former military ruler claimed that it was India and not Pakistan, that was building up the "war hysteria" and advised the Indian leadership to refrain from taking matters to the point of no return.

In a session moderated by host Robert Siegel, he also spoke on the "deteriorating" relations between Pakistan and the US, and said Pakistan was in "thick and thin" with the US and fought wars with them, including against the Soviets. He called on the need for strong relationship with the US, which can also affect ties with Afghanistan.

He admitted that the Army has played a political role in the governance of Pakistan, mainly due to the misgovernance of the "so-called democratic governments".

Therefore, he said that "people of Pakistan love the Army, and demand a lot from the it." The Army has a stature and he is proud of the fact that the Army has backed him due to his association with it for more than 40 years.

--IANS

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