WEYMOUTH: What do you want to accomplish during your visit? MUSHARRAF: To talk about the operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s national interest.
What are you hoping to get from the United States? We need economic assistance, and we expect the U.S. to help us on that.
Your decision to ally with Washington was highly significant. It was a big decision, a decision based on principle. Now that we are a part of the coalition, the people of Pakistan expect that our concerns will be addressed.
How do you see the war going thus far? I would not call it a war because that is a name that is being wrongly conceived around the world. It is an action or an operation against terrorists and their supporters… This is not a war against the whole of Afghanistan.
How significant is the fall of Mazar-e Sharif? It has military significance because there are two airfields near this town which can be used for air operations inside Afghanistan. It will [also] weaken the Taliban.
What is the political future of Afghanistan? The unity and stability of Afghanistan ought to be insured. A broad-based multiethnic government should be created. A solution should be homegrown and it should be friendly to Afghanistan’s neighbors. King Zahir Shah enjoys respect, therefore he does have a role to play in a future political settlement.
Can the Taliban be ousted in an air campaign or are ground troops needed? I don’t think bringing in ground troops would be wise at all. Special Operations is the maximum one should go to.
Are there good Taliban and bad Taliban or must all Taliban go? There are extremists and moderates within the Taliban. The moderates are those willing to bring about change in the political situation. They should be accepted in a future coalition.
What do you say to the charge that your intelligence service created the Taliban? Negative, the Taliban are homegrown.
Isn’t there sympathy in your armed forces for the Taliban? Not at all. We had diplomatic relations with the Taliban because they held control of 90 percent of Afghanistan. There was no alternative. It was not wrong then or now.
Did you fire the head of your intelligence service because he was pro-Taliban? Our thinking was totally alike. His removal was a routine matter of promotions.
Why have you called for a pause in the bombing of Afghanistan during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan? Won’t it give Osama bin Laden time to regroup? There may be some military negatives but there are political positives. One must consider the sensitivities of the Muslims during this period.
Are you satisfied with the controls you have on your nuclear weapons? I have no doubt that our strategic assets will not fall into the wrong hands.
What about the Pakistani scientists you detained who had worked in your nuclear program and later in Afghanistan? Did they sell bin Laden nuclear know-how? These were retired scientists involved in nongovernmental-organization activity. I can’t imagine how Osama bin Laden, sitting in a cave in a war-ravaged country, could fabricate a nuclear device.
When will Pakistan return to democracy? We are going to have elections in October 2002–local and national. When you said returning the country to democracy, I beg to differ. There was no democracy in Pakistan. We will introduce democracy.
Will you run for president? I will remain the president. We have to see the legalities of it.
Can you stop volunteers from your country from going to Afghanistan to help the Taliban? Those are very exaggerated reports.
Are you worried about the opposition in your country? It’s dying out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here.
