Musharraf talks of a Pak without him

Islamabad: Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday appeared quite bold while drawing the country's future scenario without him.

''There exists a chain of command, which will enable the Chairman of the Senate to assume presidency if I am no more,'' he said in an interview to Pakistan's private Geo TV.

Ruling out any military intervention in case he was not there, he said when the entire civilian set up is functioning with the Prime Minister discharging his official duties and the federal and provincial legislatures doing their businesses, there remained no room for any military action.

''Federal and provincial legislatures, which are electoral college of the President, will elect my successor if I am no more at any point of time in future,'' he stressed.

The President also said that he would resign as and when he felt the nation did not require him any longer.

''I will exit the moment I feel the nation does not require me any longer,'' said Gen Musharraf, who has been in the eye of storm since joining the U.S.-led international coalition against terrorism.

His opponents accuse him of mortgaging national interests in the war against terror to appease the US.

Musharraf, who assumed presidency after the resignation of predecessor Rafiq Tarar in August 2001, became ''intolerable'' to the leading political parties after he proclaimed himself as an elected President for next five years following a ''controversial'' presidential referendum in April 2002.

Even the general election in October 2002, which restored what Musharraf's critics call a ''guided democracy'' failed to make a big difference, as the naïve ruling coalition of Pakistan Muslim League in the hung parliament could not effectively take on the rowdy opposition, which wants nothing less than relinquishing army chief's office by Musharraf and restoration of 1973 constitution, that existed before October 12, 1999 military coup.

Bhutto, Sharif will not contest polls

IAs Pakistani opposition mounts efforts to form a grand alliance against the government after Eid, President Musharraf said ex-Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif would not be allowed to contest 2007 parliamentary elections.

He said Bhutto faced several cases in Pakistani courts, which could not be decided in absentia while Sharif went into exile for ten years under his own will in 2000.

Sharif went into exile and settled in Saudi Arabia in December 2000 under a deal between the royal Saudi and Pakistani governments for ten years almost a year after he was overthrown in a military coup in October 1999.

However, Gen Musharraf said Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) would be there to contest the election.

Asked where did he himself place in terms of popularity as compared to Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif and what would be the result if he was fielded against these two leading political personalities, Musharraf said, ''I am sure both of them will lose election.''

Make the LoC irrelevant

Musharraf renewed the offer of making the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir irrelevant to facilitate a solution of the lingering issue.

''My proposals on self-governance and joint management (in Kashmir) will pave the way for making the LoC irrelevant,'' he said.

When asked as to how the two countries could find a solution to the issue when the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ruled out redrawing of maps, the Pakistan President said the Indian Prime Minister has not agreed to redrawing of maps while we oppose making the LoC a permanent border adding that it was because of this reason that he proposed self governance and joint management which will ultimately make the LoC irrelevant.

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Musharraf also claimed that the agreement after his 2001 talks with the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Agra was almost final but it could not be signed.

Alleging that the Indian ''establishment'' was so powerful that it did not let the agreement inked, he said they still had the copy of Agra accord with us.

Musharraf has also mentioned the Agra talks in his autobiography, In the Line Of Fire, which was released in New York last month.

On Kargil crisis, he strongly dismissed Nawaz Sharif's statement as ''rubbish'' that Gen Musharraf ever asked the former Prime Minister to facilitate withdrawal of the Pakistan army personnel from Kargil.

''This is absolutely rubbish,'' he said adding that he never made any such request to Sharif, asserting that Pakistan achieved its objectives in Kargil to highlight Kashmir issue internationally.

Ruling out formation of a commission on Kargil issue, he said, ''We should not dig debris of the past.''

''There is much sensitivity involved in Kargil and as such there was no need to form any commission,'' he added.

''However, the two countries must try to resolve their differences through peaceful and diplomatic means,'' Gen Musharraf said stressing that he was not a warmonger.

The two countries are to resume Foreign Secretary level talks next month as per decision by Dr Singh and President Musharraf taken during their meeting on the sidelines of the NAM summit at Havana.

The peace process had been suspended days after Prime Minister Singh accused elements across the border of involvement in the July 11 serial bombings at Mumbai.

Return of Nawaz, Benazir will cause instability

Close on the heels of a threat by former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to boycott the 2007 elections in Pakistan if they were not allowed to contest, Musharraf said their return to the country would cause "political instability".

He said "the federation today was not stronger" compared to the situation seven years ago, when he assumed power, adding that he would consider meeting the two if they made a request to see him.

His comments came after Bhutto and Sharif met in London and said they would boycott the polls if they were not open to all political parties. They also said they would not have any political contacts with the military ruler.

"Musharraf will never be entertained for any contact for political purposes. There will be no negotation or parleys," Sharif told a joint press conference with Bhutto.

The two leaders said the general election should be held "under a neutral caretaker" and that free and fair polls would be possible only under such a set-up so that Musharraf could not influence the polls.

In the interview, Musharraf reiterated his stand that the army chief should not be the country's head of state but said he held both posts for the country's "better interests".

Replying to a question about seeking proposals from opposition parties for appointing an Election Commissioner, Musharraf said proposals were sought but the parties had refrained from responding.