Former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf has rejected allegations by India that its soldier was beheaded by Pakistan Army with help from militants.
In an interview to Times Now, an Indian TV channel, Musharraf blamed India for deteriorating bilateral ties, saying there had been no effort from India to maintain civilised relations. “Beheading a soldier and sending back his body is inexcusable. However, knowing the Pakistan Army, I can say for sure that it is not in our culture to do something as horrific as that. No disciplined army would do that,” the former army chief said.
When the Indian interviewer pressed him further about Pakistan Army’s alleged ties with militants groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Musharraf replied: “We are not mad people. Stop painting us as rogues when you yourself are not prepared to admit all the cruelty that you inflict on us. Let alone LoC, what is the logic behind kicking our singers out, sending back our hockey players?”
The former president asked why India was not doing anything against Shiv Sena, a Hindu extremist party. “Can Indian government dare to take action against Shiv Sena? Are they not extremists?”
He went on to add that India had always had an inclination to be hysterical about everything. “The politicians, media, everyone in India have a tendency to be hysterical about everything,” he added.
Later talking to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf said the Indian Army was proud of its might, and therefore it had violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC). He warned India not to underestimate Pakistan, saying “we are not a weak state”. Pakistan Army is capable of responding to any aggression by Indian forces, he said.
He said that Pakistan Army was not involved in the beheading of the Indian soldier on LoC, and blamed India for fabricating false stories to put Pakistan’s army and intelligence agencies in a bad light through its media.
He said India was deliberately escalating tension at the LoC. Pakistan army, he added, believes in resolving all disputes, including Kashmir, with India. Refusing to discuss Kargil, Musharraf snubbed an Indian TV anchor, telling him that 1971 war and Siachen needed to be discussed first. Responding to a question about the long march, Musharraf said India had no right to ask about Pakistan’s internal affairs. But he said that Pakistanis wanted change. To another question, he said that he would return to Pakistan before the next elections.
Musharraf lambastes India over LoC tension
