Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf believes that he os the panacea for Pakistan if it were to be saved from being a failed state, thanks to the 'inept and pathetic performance' by President Asif Ali Zardari led civilian government in Islamabad.
Musharraf, who earlier this year announced his comeback to Pakistani politics with the formation of a new party -- the All Pakistan Muslim League -- that would contest elections in 2013, said during an interaction at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, DC-based think tank, "It's always the first step that overawes people, that it's too big. It's too big if you think it's too big. You think that way, because you don't have that leadership in you."
Musharraf said that in his case, "I presume it's not too big because, number one, I left not because my popularity was rock-bottom. I was the most popular man in Pakistan till 2007. There is no doubt in my mind, I know that."
He argued, "It is in 2007 that political turmoil took place because of certain legal actions that I took, for which there was a reason, but I don't want to get involved in that. It was not that Pakistan was going down. It was not that the socio-economic development of Pakistan was going down. It was not that the condition of the people, their welfare, their well-being was going down."
Musharraf said that at the time he left office, the poverty rate in Pakistan, according to World Bank figures, had been halved, from 34 percent to 17 percent. "Which government has done this?" he asked. "And the people of Pakistan know it. Poverty was halved in the seven years that I was there."
He said in 2008, when he resigned, even though his popularity had declined, "it didn't touch rock bottom. I was popular in a lot of segments in Pakistan."
Musharraf said today Pakistan was suffering and this was the reason "for again, people thinking of me, that I could deliver (them) from the darkness. I said that in this darkness, the people of Pakistan are not seeing any light."
He added, "I don't have to elaborate, everyone knows what is happening in Pakistan as far as governance is concerned."
Musharraf said, "The people of Pakistan are yearning for deliverance and that is why the first step has a lot of relevance and I think there is a lot of chance of success," for him to make a resounding political comeback.
He acknowledged, "I cannot be sure, but I believe that it is better to try and fail, than to go down not trying at all."
Musharraf also took a hefty swipe at Washington's consistent declarations of support for the Zardari government, saying it is the democratically elected government in Pakistan.
"Democracy, ladies and gentlemen," he said, "is a tool to deliver for the progress of the state, and the welfare, well-being
Musharraf said the Asif Ali Zardari-led Pakistan People's Party government may have been democratically elected, but it was "running the state and the people down to the ground. I don't think that kind of democracy is the democracy that any state wants."
Musharraf also claimed that after the 9/11 attacks, had Pakistan not joined the 'coalition of the coerced,' the US would have taken India up on its offer to help launch attacks on Afghanistan, and would have violated Pakistan's sovereignty and air space.
Musharraf elaborated, "The first question I asked myself before joining was, what is in Pakistan's interests? Does Pakistan want Talibanisation -- a Talibanised government in Pakistan. And, I know that 99 percent of Pakistanis will say no, we don't want that."
"So, it was not in our interests to be supportive toward Taliban," he said, and added that the decision he took was based solely in "Pakistan's interests, not US interests."
Musharraf said, "Then, I also went further. If we did not join, what could happen? (It) was certainly very dangerous for Pakistan, because India was ever prepared to join and certainly the United States would have attacked Afghanistan."
"How do they attack Afghanistan? From India, obviously, violating Pakistan's sovereignty and airspace or whatever, or land," he said. "Therefore, from our point of view, bravado is good, and at a personal level, I am prepared to show bravado. But where nation and state are involved, bravado is not the solution for a leader. And, therefore, I took the decision, and whether that decision was correct or wrong, I think in hindsight, most of the Pakistanis believe it was the correct decision."
With regard to the US predator drone attacks in Pakistan to take out Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, Musharraf said is was indeed "a dilemma."
He said the drones "do certainly target militants -- I know that. But at the same time, indiscriminate use of drones causes a lot of collateral damage. That is a negative, and the other negative is the violation of sovereignty of Pakistan."
He claimed, "In my time, I never allowed anything to violate the sovereignty of Pakistan."
"I've always been saying, why not give drones to Pakistan -- to the Pakistan armed forces, so that they could carry out the attacks against militant targets," said Musharraf.
When asked if he is re-elected President, whether he would stop the US from carrying out these drone attacks, Musharraf said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," and then exhorted the questioner, "First you get me there (elected as Pakistan president), then I'll decide what to do."
