Daily Times

LONDON: Former president Pervez Musharraf has said that NRO with political parties was a glaring mistake of his life.

In an interview, he said that Pakistan could not oppose attacking Afghanistan after 9/11 and siding with US was the need of the hour.

He said that situation in the world had entirely changed after 9/11. India was ready to provide its airbases to US, if Pakistan did not provide its airbases to US for attacking Afghanistan, he added. “I raised Kashmir issue with Indian former prime ministers, Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, and this issue was heading towards its solution”, he said.

Musharraf said that Lal Masjid operation and removing Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice of Pakistan were correct steps.

“I have no concern with May 12 incidents of Karachi and militant wings of political parties were involved in them, he said. The former president said the United States was mounting too much pressure for bringing Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan adding that Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan by violating the agreement. Saudi Arabia mounted sufficient pressure to allow Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan, following the arrival of Benazir in Pakistan, he added.

“I could decide about construction of Kalabagh Dam in the first three years. I went to Karachi, Sukkur and Hyderabad for developing consensus on the construction of Kalabagh Dam. But during the remaining five years, this problem could not be addressed due to formation of government, Musharraf said. He underlined that Altaf Hussain should now quit the party as he had no future in the politics of Pakistan.