LONDON-
Former president General (r) Pervez Mushrraf, believed to have given a green light to US drone strikes in Pakistan during his rule, clarified that he had allowed a strike only ‘once’.
” I said (yes) once, while during my time there were approximately nine drone attacks. I am only talking about one occasion — we did not have much time and there was evidence (leading) to a major terrorist group, so we gave permission for (the) strike,” he said in an interview to BBC’s Stephen Sackur in his programme HardTalk.
He rejected the western model of democracy, temring it impractical in Pakistan and adding that the countru would be better off with a form of majority rule that agreed to its circumstances.
“You want to impose your kind of democracy in every country, but I’m afraid this is not a pragmatic approach. Every nation has a set of its unique problems and relevant circumstances, and every country should act accordingly.”
“We should be democratic. We do believe in democracy but we should model it around the Pakistani environment,” he added.
The former military ruler claimed the baseless treason allegations leveled against him were not more than political victimization.
“These politicized charges are a figment of my rivals’ imagination. I have only been made a target of vengeance, but I believe justice will prevail,” he said.