Yes we trained militant groups against India: Musharraf
The former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, arrives for the announc...
Washington: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has admitted that Pakistan
had trained underground militant groups to fight in Kashmir, the first such
admission by a top leader of the country.
Musharraf's candid remarks came days after he announced his return to active
politics from London where he has been living in self-imposed exile.
"They (underground militant groups to fight against India in Kashmir) were
indeed formed," Musharraf told German magazine Der Spiegel in an interview.
Asked why did Pakistan train militant underground groups to fight India in
Kashmir, the former President said Nawaz Sharif's apathy to the Kashmir issue
was one of the reasons, so was the fact that the world had turned a blind eye
to
the dispute.
"Yes, it is the right of any country to promote its own interests... when India
is not prepared to discuss Kashmir at the United Nations and is not prepared to
resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner," Musharraf claimed.
"The (Nawaz Sharif) government turned a blind eye because they wanted India to
discuss Kashmir," he said.
Musharraf indicated he had no regrets for the Kargil intrusion, that led to an
armed conflict with India in 1999, and argued that each country had a right to
promote its national interest.
Musharraf slammed the international community, particularly the West, for
persistently ignoring the Kashmir issue, and for singling out Pakistan for all
blames.
"The West was ignoring the resolution of the Kashmir issue, which is the core
issue of Pakistan. We expected the West -- especially the United States and
important countries like Germany -- to resolve the Kashmir issue. Has Germany
done that?" the former Pakistan military ruler asked.
Musharraf launched his political party the All Pakistan Muslim League in London
and announced his intention to contest the 2013 election.
"The West blames Pakistan for everything. Nobody asks the Indian prime
minister,
why did you arm your country with a nuclear weapon? Why are you killing
innocent
civilians in Kashmir? Nobody was bothered that Pakistan got split in 1971
because of India's military backing for Bangladesh. The United States and
Germany gave statements, but they didn't mean anything," he said.
Musharraf, who overthrew Sharif's government in a bloodless coup in 1999, had
also as Army chief presided over the Kargil misadventure that had threatened to
scale up into a full-fledged war between India and Pakistan.
Musharraf charged the international community of courting India for strategic
deals, while treating Pakistan as a rogue state.
"Everybody is interested in strategic deals with India, but Pakistan is always
seen as the rogue," Musharraf said.
The former Pakistan ruler also said the worst blunder of the US would be to
quit
in Afghanistan without winning.
"Then militancy will prevail not only in Pakistan, India and Kashmir, but
perhaps also in Europe, the United Kingdom and in the United States. That's my
belief," he said.
Ur's
M.K.
"making impossible possible"
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