Former Pakistan president
Pervez Musharraf in an interview to a Pakistani channel said that his country should not bow down to Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modiwho he termed as being anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim.
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Reuters
Initiating the discussion on Modi himself,
Musharrafsaid there should be no doubt that Pakistan is a nuclear-powered state capable of defending themselves and that there was no need to treat Modi as a viceroy.
Firstpost could not verify when the interview was conducted.
Here is an excerpt of what Musharraf said in the interview:
I would like to speak about Narendra Modi even though you (anchor) have not yet asked me about him.
Look at the attitude of this (Pak) government about Modi. If you look at Modi's reality, quite clearly he is anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan. There is no doubt about that. He has been elected Prime Minster, but till now we have not seen him play his anti-Pakistan or anti-Muslim cards. Till we don't see him playing his cards, there is no reason why we should be treating him like a viceroy or send our people to him like subjects to salute him? There is no reason at all, we are a strong nation, we will see what he does if he talks anti-Muslim or anti-Pakistan, we are also a nuclear power, we have a 20 crore population.
Let there be no doubt in his mind or in the mind of Indians that we want to live peacefully with honour and dignity so he should not be mistaken that he can do anything with us. He cannot do anything, so there is no reason for us to treat him like a viceroy. Let him be... let's wait and watch what his approach towards us and Muslims is before we take any steps further.
Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan in March last year ahead of the general elections ending his over four-year self-imposed exile, is currently facing multiple trials including one under the high-treason act for which he was placed under house arrest and barred from travelling abroad.
He is also facing trial in the murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto; former chief minister of the southwestern Baluchistan region Nawab Akbar Bugti and Red Mosque cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi.
Musharraf, who is the first military ruler in Pakistan's history to be tried in court, has rejected all the charges levelled against him, including treason.
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