Full transcript: General Pervez Musharraf speaks to NDTV NDTV.com

New Delhi/Dubai: In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Group Editor Barkha Dutt, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he "won't deny" reports that he crossed into Indian territory ahead of the Kargil War in 1999 to spend some time with his troops.

This is the transcript of the interview:

NDTV: For the first time in Pakistan's history a civilian government is all set to complete 5 years in Parliament, in the country's Parliament, making it a historic record of sorts. In the midst of all this as Pakistan looks towards fresh
elections and before that an interim government to lead it towards these fresh elections, one of the men, a high-profile ex-leader of Pakistan who served Pakistan both as its Army chief and as its President is all set to return back and jump into the electoral fray. That's right, we are talking about Pakistan's former Army Chief and President General Pervez Musharraf who says that by next week, this time, he will be back in Pakistan come what may. What role will he play in Pakistan's politics? Is democracy really, in a sense, taking route in Pakistan in a meaningful way and also will General Musharraf's history continue to tail him? To answer this and much more, we are joined from Dubai by General Pervez Musharraf himself.

Welcome to The Buck Stops Here General Musharraf, I want to start by asking you that when I interviewed you last which was in 2011 in London, at that time you were hopeful that by March 2012 you will be able to go back home. You later said that the circumstances in the country did not permit that. I want to ask you now, that are you absolutely categorical that on 24th of March, come what may you will board back the flight back to Pakistan?

General Musharraf: Yes, I am absolutely categorical and there is logic behind it. When you are talking of 2012, the elections were not in sight. I was going because of the certain environment and I was then advised that the environment is not correct. Now the elections are in sight, they are going to be held, if I create a political party for the purpose of going for the elections.  So, if I don't go now, then when will I go? So it is now or never. So it's absolutely categorical that I have to go.

NDTV: Gen Musharraf, we have seen statements from public prosecutors attached to your country's investigative agencies who still argue that the moment you land in Pakistan, you will be arrested on landing. They say that the anti-terror courts declared you to be a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto case; you have never accepted those charges - I remember you telling me that in many ways Benazir Bhutto was responsible for what happened to her as she did not pay heed to the security warnings. Now aren't you fearful that this statement of yours will not go down well with the Pakistani people? That you could in fact be arrested the moment you land?

General Musharraf: Barkha, first of all my arrest warrant are not because I am accused of anything. It is because I refuse to appear in court, that is why I was declared absconder and arrest warrant were issued. So let that be clear. Now I have being saying that I will appear in court, if that be the case then why should I be arrested? The cause of my arrest warrant is gone, I am going to appear in the court. I go for people's perceptions. Yes, there are indeed legal cases and I have being saying that these are all political cases. I know for sure inside myself there is a conviction that there is nothing against me, I haven't done anything wrong and these are all concocted cases. So I accept justice and I am prepared to face the court.

NDTV: So, General Musharraf, you are saying that whether it is the Lal Masjid case, whether it is the case of assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti or whether it is indeed the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, when you go back to Pakistan, you will cooperate with the agency in all these cases. You will appear in court where you need to and therefore there is absolutely no reason for any immediate arrest when you land. Am I understanding you correctly? 

General Musharraf: Yes. The biggest point, one point that I want to make now is that Pakistan is running parliamentary system of government like India, like your country. For security, actions and law enforcement, is the President responsible? It's the Prime Minister of Pakistan who runs the government and who is responsible, so how do I get responsible - for whether its Bugti or Lal Masjid or anything else - right? So one is that. Now talking in legal terms this is the fact of the situation. However, other than that as I said I would be prepared to face the court because I know that there is no case even besides this argument, there is no case against me and I will face the charges.

NDTV: But General Musharraf, when you draw this parallel with India that we both are parliamentary democracies, while that is strictly true, when you were President you were the repository of power. In India, the President is really a titular head, he is a ceremonial head than an actual head. So is it reasonable for you to say that the Prime Minster was accountable and not the President?

General Musharraf: It is, when you go to court, you are talking of legal and constitutional issues, you are not talking of abstract things. Now yes, I was powerful but that doesn't mean I had the power to run the government. I did not once in five years attend or call a Cabinet meeting. How do you a run a government? How do you a run a country - through the Cabinet and through the Secretariats. Not once I attend that, not once did I call. So my role was as a senior personality who changes the course of Pakistan. In the first three years I was running the government myself, then I was in an advisory capacity, to advise if I knew anything. If I thought myself to be capable of giving some advice, that is where I use to get involved with government, but always through the Prime Minister, always through the channel of the Prime Minister and the government. So yes, I do agree the situation in Pakistan was different one can't compare the Indian President with me when I was the President, but still in actual reality all legal and constitutional point of view I did not have the power, it was the Prime Minister of Pakistan who was running the country.

NDTV: But you used to be called the powerful man in Pakistan at that time. Was that an inaccurate description?

General Musharraf: Yes, I won't deny that it was accurate because I enjoyed faith and confidence of the people of Pakistan. My popularity rating even in 2007 after being in position for 8 years was 78 per cent, I remember. So that was my strength, my strength was because all the main political leaders and the people of Pakistan had faith in me because I turned Pakistan around... that was my strength and therefore that strength was visible to anyone, whether politician, bureaucrat or military man or businessman anyone.

NDTV: But should you have, General Musharraf, blamed in a sense Benazir Bhutto for her own death? Because even in an interview to me I remember you told me that in a sense it was her fault that she was killed because she didn't pay attention to the warnings from the government. Now the findings of the Pakistan investigative agency are very different and they believed that there was an inside conspiracy to kill her.

General Musharraf: Well, there may have been conspiracy, but first is the matter, the facts, the reality of the case. She comes to a sight and for about 3 hours - 2 and a half hours - she addresses about 100 thousand people right in front of them, she comes than goes and waves to them through the crowd, gets into a bomb proof car, absolutely secure. Now security was successful, isn't it?  If she had just driven off, well, she is safe and best security provided. Now she comes out of the car and she unfortunately gets assassinated, the other four people sitting... nothing has happened to them, they're absolutely... not a scratch on them, so the security was perfect except probably she didn't have the destiny and she got killed. Now whether there was a conspiracy behind those who killed her, that's a different issue. That could be investigated and found - who are the beneficiaries who possibly... there are 2 or 3 elements - one is that her telephone. Whoever told her to get out of the car that telephone, mobile went missing for two years, it was found after 2-3 years, it appeared, but nobody is talking about it. The close in security, one person called Khalid Shehenshah there are television clips of him standing next to the rostrum and making all kind of odd signs. This man gets assassinated in Karachi and the person who assassinated him also gets assassinated, nobody is talking about it. So if there is a conspiracy, go for the conspiracy, find out if there was a conspiracy. But the source of killing is very clear, it is Baitullah Mehsud because we have, we had evidence of that, so there is no doubt in that. Now if there is someone behind Baitullah Mehsud, I don't know, he should be investigated.

NDTV: OK, let's talk little bit about what's happening inside Pakistan. It's actually a very interesting and significant moment in Pakistan's history, a civilian government is for the first time is going to complete 5 years in office. Do you believe General Musharraf, as many politicians who are elected in Pakistan these days say, that the age of the military coup, the age of army coup - and after all you have being associated with one when Nawaz Shariff was displaced - do you believe that the age of army coup is now over in Pakistan?

General Musharraf: Well, first of all, this is not the first time a civilian government is completing its tenure, it is the second time. I claim that the first time was when I was the President, the civilian government of Shaukat Aziz completed 5 years, the other point. Now coming to the point, yes the age of coups maybe over because the environment has changed in Pakistan and also previously these military takeovers were validated by the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court now has itself passed a judgment on this, that it will not validate takeovers so that produces a hindrance now. But I would say, as I have always been saying, that Pakistan suffers from a dilemma, from a constitutional dilemma, the Constitution being sacrosanct, it's a dilemma between Constitution and state. Constitution is sacrosanct, everyone knows it, it must be followed but its sanctity lies in the security of the state, if the state is there, the Constitution is sacrosanct, if the state is not there, the Constitution happens to be a piece of paper. Now the dilemma is, whenever the state, whenever a civilian government and throughout the history of Pakistan government 60 years, not one civilian government has governed Pakistan well, done well for the development of Pakistan and for the welfare of the people, not once, so when that happens people run to the army headquarter and to the Army Chief, he suffers, now he is under the dilemma - save the Constitution the state is going, save the state, the Constitution is being violated. We have to remove this dilemma constitutionally and institutionally this is our problem unfortunately.

NDTV: But General Musharraf, as long as this dilemma exists and the volatility within Pakistan continues, do you actually make a case that Pakistan still needs military rule and are you misreading the writing on the wall as this civilian government, whatever its other faults may be, completes it tenure.

General Musharraf: No, I don't think so at all. I have proved in 1999, I proved that Pakistan can be governed best through selected civilians, through good civilians not the military. I did not impose a marshal law Barkha. If you remember, go back to 1999, I became the chief executive and I governed through all civilians, my Cabinet of 14 people, the first Cabinet were all civilians... the Governors were all civilians, right? So I governed Pakistan through a civilian setup, but a civilian... selected civilian setup, so I come to the conclusion that there is merit, there are people, there are people capable of running Pakistan, but unfortunately the political system does not throw  those people up, in governance. So if it is a selected not elected, selected people many are available who can run Pakistan very well and change the destiny of Pakistan, if those people with merit come in and they have good leadership, good firm leadership on top, now that is what is required, so therefore military is not required, it is a civilian setup with good leadership, if the military behind the scene can play a role to bring this about, that is the best solution for Pakistan till we stabilise and strengthen the democratic process and improve qualitative improvement in the democratic process and institutionalised checks and balances are introduced... maybe that is the best solution.

NDTV: But General Musharraf, what I am hearing you say, is that a civilian government should lead Pakistan, but the real power should continue to be wielded by the army and this is the only way to resolve, what you call, the institutional dilemma in your country, is that what you are saying?

General Musharraf: No, not at all, not at all please Barkha, don't read between the lines. I am not saying that at all. I am saying that military in Pakistan, we must understand, nobody can negate the role of the military, it happens to be there, it is a strong force, it is the most organized force in Pakistan, they have a role to play because the people of Pakistan want them to play this role, please understand. The people of Pakistan rush to the army, they expect the army, they respect the army, they have faith in the army, so let us understand this element of Pakistan alone, it may not apply to anybody else but it applies to Pakistan, now in that role, the Pakistan's army has the credibility in the whole population of Pakistan, they can play a role in installing a civilian government, not under the military but the military can at least give them the force that this civilian government would need, they will need otherwise if they are at the mercy of unscrupulous organizations, political organization they may not be allowed to function, therefore if  they have the backup of the military force but it is a civilian government running Pakistan on merit, with quality that is what I am talking, I am not saying that the military will wield power, no I am not saying that.

NDTV: General Musharraf, do you accept that there has being a point recently in Pakistan's history, when Pakistan's military has actually being weakened? And the point I talk about is the time when Osama bin Laden was taken out by the Americans in Abbottabad and there was that one week because I remember, I was there in Pakistan that many people thought in public perception it was the military that had been weakened and this was the time for the civilian parties to assert themselves. Do you accept that the Osama bin Laden taking out was a huge embarrassment and weakening of the authority of the Pakistan military?

General Musharraf: Yes, I will agree, we suffered, the military suffered, its reputation suffered, but I would like to clarify in physical terms the military's strength did not weaken and in the masses, the common man on the street, it still did not weaken. Yes, on the intellectual side and in perception, yes it was weakened, international perception, yes it was weekend.

NDTV: Why we are talking of Osama bin Laden you will remember that you wrote in your memoirs that you did not believe or you did not know whether he was in Pakistan and you did not know where he was. Now, since then of course there is a long debate about who knew and who did not know, but further you've had America's former Sectary of State Hillary Clinton say in an interview to me and others that she believed Al-Zawahiri, the next in line of the Al-Qaeda is also hiding in Pakistan. What would you say about this? Given the mistake that Pakistan, and including yourself, many Pakistanis made in their proclamations that bin Laden was not there. Will we now see a leader of the rank of Al-Zawahiri be found in Pakistan?

General Musharraf: Well, these are all... I mean her statement is probably not based on any intelligence. Now in Afghanistan, today the situation is and the southern part of Afghanistan the Taliban hold where they are, they dominate the area, so therefore and in some of the areas of the tribal agencies of Pakistan specially in north Waziristan, south Waziristan, Bajaur, yes indeed there are places which are dominated by Taliban, so therefore he could be anywhere. Now if anyone, even with Osama bin laden when people used to say he is in Pakistan, well why I can't say he is in your country. What proof do you have? Do you have any intelligence? No they didn't, the other person is just talking. He could be in Pakistan, he could be in Afghanistan, so I won't be able to say that. Now how Hillary Clinton said he is in Pakistan, I don't know, I don't know whether it's based on intelligence, have they got technical input into it, have they being seeing it over the photography that they carried out or the surveillance that they carried out through the drones, I don't know and I am not privy to it. So I wouldn't be able to say, confirm whether he was Pakistan, he could very well have been in Afghanistan or anywhere else.

NDTV: Whose fault do you think it is that Osama bin Laden was able to hide under the nose of Pakistani security agencies in Abbottabad, not far from major military headquarters?

General Musharraf: Yes, I would admit, I will have to admit that there is an intelligence failure here certainly, but at the same time I must say that I do not have complete faith or confidence in the statement that he was there for 5 years, holed up in one place and may be in a room, not even outside, going out of that place, I have my doubts, so that is a doubtful point and especially the doubt is that he was there for 5 years, 2 years of that 5 years was in my tenure, now whether you believe it or not or whether anyone  else in the world believes it or not,  I know that I don't have to prove it, I know that I didn't know it.

NDTV: You did not know or you believe he was not there those are two separate things...

General Musharraf: I did not know and I feel maybe he was not there.

NDTV: So where do you think he was and who do you think brought him to Abbottabad?

General Musharraf: Sorry?

NDTV: Where do you think Osama bin Laden was for those, the rest of those 5 years and who do you think then brought him to Abbottabad?

General Musharraf: I can't say, it's all conjecturing. I feel that if he was there, certainly I don't believe in conspiracy theories so I think he was there when he was killed, although I think the US should have proved that he has being killed there through some concrete showing to the world, which they didn't. Therefore, in Pakistan at least, if you ask vast majority will say they don't believe that he was there, so I think it the onus was with the United States to prove all this which they did not. Now, as far as I am concerned, I personally think, now I have to conjecture for 5 years a person living in a room doesn't appeal to my common sense, so therefore, I think maybe he had that as a base with his 3 wives and 18 children probably living around there, he himself was coming and going, maybe, I am just conjecturing, I don't have any intelligence to say that this is the truth.

NDTV: OK, Gen Musharraf talk a little bit about the kind of sectarian violence that we are seeing in Pakistan, it's been called a genocide not by Indians but by Pakistani commentators themselves. The attacks that are taking place on Shias and then in Lahore, we have seen Christian colonies being attacked very recently, I want to ask you as somebody who positioned himself as a modern leader, you saw yourself as a modern face for Pakistan, doesn't it speak to Pakistan's very existence that we are now, you know there is an existential dilemma here because if the two nation theory was correct, then how can Pakistan and Pakistan's political establishment justify the kind of genocide that is going on with Pakistan's minorities and with its Shia population.

General Musharraf: Well, Barkha you're trying to touch a raw nerve, I am not going to get into an argument with you, similar incidents if you remember what happened in Gujarat in India, if you remember what happened to the Golden Temple in India and Christians in India, these things happen, now let me leave that, I don't want to get into a slugging match with you, but on Pakistan.. yes I  think it is so terrible that this happens, Qaede Azam's vision of Pakistan was certainly not this, my vision of Pakistan is certainly what Qaede Azam thought that here minorities have the same right as the Muslims I strongly believe. It is just a pity that some illiterate backward obscurantists  bring about this religious terrorism in Pakistan, other than that as far on the sectarian side, yes I think this is equally terrible that even the Muslims are killing each other within themselves, this needs to be corrected, but I also wonder whether this is being exploited by some forces, I mean this needs to be seen also.

NDTV: Gen Musharraf, you have often come to India, you have spoken here at conferences, at conclaves, you have spoken through your interviews and you are aware that when you come to India there are two things that you are always asked about, so I'm also going to delve deeper into those two things, one is what happened in Kargil, the other is the four-point formula that you mooted around J&K. Now I have seen your statements debunking what some of your colleagues in your own Army have said, you have said that these are all false charges but I want to hear from you on the specifics. First, let us look at the allegation that has been made in a book by Col Hussain that suggests that you as Army chief actually entered 11 KMs inside Indian territory and spent a night there ahead of the Kargil conflict erupting, can you set the record straight? Did you as the Army Chief ever enter inside Indian Indian Territory as Col Ashfaq Husain has alleged?

General Musharraf: I don't want to deny it, I don't know about 11 Kms, yes I have been in that sector certainly, I was in that sector and I have gone to the front in that sector so I will leave it at that. The other issue, I don't know where i don't want to talk about Kargil but whenever anyone from India talks about Kargil, I always.. you know what my feelings are, this is a continuation, it's not a standalone case, it is a continuation of what we've been doing to each other since our independence. The intelligence of the two countries have been at loggerheads, they have been harming each other inside the countries, you in Pakistan and we in India, so let's accept this reality, this has been the case, it is not one-sided. 

NDTV: But Gen Musharraf...

General Musharraf: But then our country has been divided and then Siachen also is there. So this is all a continuation, so I cannot accept a one-sided blame that what happened in Kargil and we are the rogues.. well, if we are the rogues in Kargil  you were the rogues in East Pakistan and Siachen, so let us not talk about that, I agree these things need to be stopped.

NDTV: Gen Musharraf, may I first ask you to explain a little bit your opening remarks to my question when I said, did you as Army chief enter inside the Indian Territory, you said 'I will not deny it, I went till the post. Going to the post in Pakistani side and entering in the Indian territory are very different things as you say and you pretty much have said that Col Husain has a point when he says that on 28th of March, 1999, you were inside Indian territory, you came in a helicopter and you spent an entire night there. Can you confirm that Col Husain is correct and did you not worry that as an Army chief, you were actually violating the Line of Control?

General Musharraf: First of all, what is the difference between line of control and International border? Why don't we call it international boundary between India and Pakistan? Line of control is violable, that is why you entered Siachen, right? So, line of control is not a permanent international boundary, now no. one point. Second point is why are you interested? I mean why should I say whether I was on the other side of line of control or not, I mean these are military matters, what difference does it make whether I went across or not? I mean what is the point, what point do you want to make?

NDTV: You don't think it is significant that Pakistan's Army chief before a conflict erupts, because this was before the conflict, actually enters Indian Territory, do you think this is an irrelevant and insignificant fact, Gen Musharraf.

General Musharraf: Because an Army chief or an Army commander must be with troops, that is my belief. I have served in an institution or a special services group which is the elite of Pakistan Army. Now, we have believed that we are with the troops in the front, we lead from the front, I don't lead from behind, I have never led from behind, I have led from the front. So therefore, I'm there. I, whenever the troops were involved, whether it was Siachen or any place I have been to the front, everywhere, all over Pakistan so that is my theory of leading and commanding. So in that, I was with the troops, now you shouldn't be concerned whether I was across the line of control by 10 miles or 10kms or 7 or 11, forget it, I was there, I did go and visit  the troops, not once but three times, I spent nights there.

NDTV: But you are not denying it, that is all I'm confirming. I'm just confirming that you are not denying Col Husain's point, that's all?

General Musharraf: I'm not confirming, I'm not denying but I'm telling you that I have been staying nights with my troops.

NDTV: I want to ask you that many of the newspapers in Pakistan, editorials that I have being reading, there was a very strong editorial in Dawn there's another one in Frontier Post, they said that after the arguments that were made by Lt. Gen  Shahid Aziz,  whom you say is imbalanced and is defaming the Pakistani army, but they say after the allegations made by him of Kargil being a very tightly controlled and operation that was not even revealed to the ISI that was commanded by four generals including yourself. Pakistan is now asking for a free and fair reopening of what exactly happened in Kargil, is that something you will be willing to accept? It is coming from your own country Gen Musharraf, not from Indians?

General Musharraf: Barkha, I think can we  leave this subject, this is our internal matter, I wouldn't like you to get involved and as far as I am concerned the last answer that I would like to give yes, these are operational secrets and there are lots of operational secrets involved and this is a closed issue of almost 11 years old, we should not be opening Pandora's boxes and getting involved in controversies.

NDTV: But you continue to not regret Kargil? That would be my last question to you, you continue to not regret it.

General Musharraf: Never, I will never regret it, the pride of a soldier is when I put my uniform on, let me again repeat now since you've asked this question. When I joined the military, I joined the military and put my uniform on to fight not to sit at home with bangles. I joined the army to fight, whether the fighting is in Rann of Kutch or in Kashmir or in Sialkot sector or in Kasur sector or in the mountains of Pakistan, I  am there to fight, that is how I take it, that is why I joined the military. Now if anyone joins the military to sit at home and do nothing, that is not what a military man should ought to be thinking, now I am a soldier who has served in the elite force whose motto may I say is ghazi ya shaheed, ok, honor and dignity and I believe in ghazi and Shaheed. So therefore don't teach me whether I am proud or whenever we succeed and I cry whenever we fail. I cried when East Pakistan went, I cried with my 150 troops, right, so  I am a soldier, I cried when we were beaten, but I feel proud when I win, is that a good answer?

NDTV: Let me now talk to you in conclusion about what has come to be called your four point formula on Jammu and Kashmir. I want to ask you as we end, at a time when we have seen yet again a Fedayeen attack in the valley, your four point formula, how far did it go and why did India and Pakistan not able to build substantively on it because you were in talks on it with both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh?

General Musharraf: Well yes, we were moving forward, unfortunately as far as Mr. Vajpayee is concerned, Prime Minister Vajpayee, actually that was my first meeting after that was really the breaking of the. So there was no solution involved in that, unfortunately the world takes it as if we were reaching some kind of an agreement. No that was a joint declaration to be issued after the meeting and the joint declaration was different in the way that, it accepted the Kashmir dispute, as the dispute to be resolved if we wanted peace and socio economic cooperation  between India and Pakistan, that was the main element in that joint declaration, nothing more than that, no solution to Siachen or Kashmir or Sir Creek. So this was a  good foundation for a takeoff, because before this India was not even accepting  that Pakistan should talk of Kashmir even in United Nations and dispute which is existing since 1948 and is there in the security council as one of the dispute of the world which needs to be resolved. So therefore, that was the case as far as Manmohan Sahab is concerned, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, yes in his tenure we were moving forward because the back channel was operating well, smoothly and we met twice and the third time  we were about to meet again and by that time I had and I am going to say that very proudly, I had because this four point basis theory is my theory, I proposed it, we were moving forward drifting a peace resolution, so there's a difference in the two.

NDTV: How far did this draft resolution that you proposed, how far did it reach, was your army on board with it?

General Musharraf: Totally on board, unfortunately in India everyone thinks that army is the obstacle, whereas army is an obstacle on your side, they don't want to resolve Siachen dispute, our army is always on board to resolve Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir. You people have your own vision of whether army is stopping, let me tell you and with all honesty, whether you believe it or not,  the army wants to resolve Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek. Now, we had to answer your question, Sir Creek and Siachen, we had carried out joint survey with the two Navy's and we identified the disputed area and I think it was absolutely ripe, it is even now ripe to be signed and the dispute is forgotten and finished. Siachen we had agreed on the points the lines beyond which troops should withdraw, everything is done, it is a very very minor issue of authentication of present positions which is different on both sides, it can be resolved, leadership is required to resolve it, it's a leadership call, so that can also be put behind. Kashmir was being drafted, we have not reached the final draft, but we knew the parameters and we were moving fairly well and i think with the resolve that we both, on  both sides I and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were showing, we could have reached a final draft.

NDTV: Gen Musharraf in the end I must ask as you head back to Pakistan, what do you assess to be your own political prospects for yourself?

General Musharraf: Big question mark, big question mark,  I don't believe in over assessing myself but at the same time I don't believe in under assessing myself, I don't know these are unknown factors lot of intangibles involved, but my belief that trying and failing is better than not trying at all, specially under circumstances where Pakistan is suffering so much and Pakistan needs to be put back on track, put back on track of development, socio economic development, peace within, I have always being saying that there were four areas that I had identified for Pakistan at the grand strategy level, internal stability, regional peace, international acceptability and stature and finally playing a role for the socio economic uplift of the Muslim world . These are the four  areas at the grand strategy level that I identified for myself, on the internal strategy level on Pakistani strategic level I thought we need to ensure the security and progress and development of the country of Pakistan,  the state of Pakistan, welfare, well-being of the people of Pakistan. This is what I was following and I think i would like to follow these again but whether I will succeed or not I don't know, there is an even chance I may succeed.

NDTV: In either way it will be an interesting time for you as well as your country. Thank you so much Gen Musharraf for talking at the buck stops here with.

General Musharraf: Thank you Barkha.