Washington: Blaming the western media for many of his woes, President Pervez Musharraf has said that he was ready to "work" with opposition leader Benazir Bhutto if she wins the January vote but remained non-committal on lifting a ban on her becoming the premier for the third time.
"When you talk of working with her, you imply she is going to be the prime minister. Why do you imply that? I keep telling everyone we haven't had the elections," Musharraf, who lifted emergency today, said.
Asked if he could work with her if she got enough votes, he replied " Yes, of course.... I think so I am not such an unpleasant person". On the lifting of a third term ban for Bhutto, Musharraf said he had made no such promise to the US.
"We will decide on that once they win the vote," he told The Wasington Post and Newsweek in an interview to be published tomorrow.
"The problem with the West and your media is your obsession with democracy, civil liberties, human rights. You think your definition of all these things is (correct)....,"Musharraf said when asked whether he felt that he had stuck his neck out for the United States which has not "stood" by him.
Defending the imposition of emergency and curbs on media, he said "the Western media was undermining what (we) are doing. Your media keeps criticizing the army and the ISI —not understanding what their real contribution is to fighting terrorism.
"If the media is doing something which is totally demoralizing the nation, (resulting in a) government which is almost nonfunctional, the economy taking a downturn, despair and despondency in the nation . . . terrorism rising in the
settled districts, then," Musharraf said.
The President snapped when asked if the polls will really be free and fair and launched a diatribe against Bhutto. "Why do you think it is untrue? " he asked.
But when pointed out that Bhutto has charged that the voting is going to be rigged, Musharraf replied, "That is what she is used to, and that is what maybe she has been doing, so let her not treat everyone like herself.... I am not like her. I don't believe in these things.
"Where's her sense of democracy when 57 per cent of the Parliament vote for me, and she says she is not prepared to work with me, whether in uniform or out of uniform?"
Asked how he felt about doffing uniform last month, the commando-turned politician said: "On a personal note, I loved my uniform. From the national point of view, I don't think there is a difference. "I think the overall situation will be better and stronger. The army is being managed by a chief of staff dedicated to the job, and I will be president of Pakistan, and if the two are totally in harmony, the situation is better" Musharraf said.
He out rightly rejected reinstatement of judges who had opposed him after emergency was imposed and maintained that he really did not care if the West did not understand this. “No, not at all. What judges? Why should they be restored? New judges are there.
They will never be restored. Let them not understand. They should come to Pakistan and understand Pakistan," Musharraf said brushing aside the suggestion that since the Constitution is being restored, so should the courts. He ruled out the possibility of US intelligence agencies quizzing the now disgraced Pakistani scientist A Q Khan saying.
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