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Sunday, September 11, 2011
Musharraf defends his decision to align with US
* Former president says support for US post 9/11 was the need of the hour
LONDON: Former president Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said that the decision to support the US and participate in the war against terrorism was the need of the hour.
In a statement issued on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 terror attack, he said had Pakistan not agreed to play a pivotal role in the US-led war, the country would have had to face the combined military might of US and India.
The former president honored the victims of terrorist attacks and maintained that Pakistan too had sacrificed over 35,000 lives for its support of the war on terror.
He urged Pakistanis, particularly the youth, to remain united against all internal and external threats and continue to work as a decisive force against extremist elements that endanger the sovereignty of the country. Musharraf in his memoir “In the Line of Fire”, he has also mentioned that the US had threatened to “bomb Pakistan into Stone Age” if it had not agreed to become its ally in the war against terrorism following the 9/11 attacks.
Moreover, the war on terror was and is the need of the hour for Pakistan too in order to secure peace, prosperity and stability in the country. He said that by rooting out terrorism from our midst, Pakistan could become an agent of positive change creating unique interdependencies between central, west, Middle East and south Asian countries through trade and energy partnerships.
Therefore, while alignment with western forces was important it was more crucial for Pakistan from an internal standpoint to curtail the growing influence of terrorism and extremist elements. He said that in the aftermath of 9/11, the economic dimension of confronting the United States and the West also needed serious analysis.
Pakistan’s major export and investment is to and from the United States and the European Union. Any sanctions on the export potential would have crippled the industries and choked economic growth. Hence, the poor masses of Pakistan would have been the greatest sufferers.
Musharraf further said: “We refused to give any naval ports or fighter aircraft bases to the US. We allowed the United States only two bases, Shamsi in Balochistan and Jacobabad in Sindh, and that too only for logistics and aircraft recovery. We maintained the sovereignty of the state and gave no “blanket permission” for any action to the west. I have laid down the rationale for my decision in all its details. Even with hindsight, now, I do not repent it. It was correct in the larger interest of Pakistan and I am confidant that the majority of Pakistanis agree with it.” pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk