President Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan direly needs political reconciliation, and added that the ongoing talk with politicians is a step in that direction.
Islamabad, Aug 24 : President Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan direly needs political reconciliation, and added that the ongoing talk with politicians is a step in that direction.
"It is the need of the time that there is political stability, political reconciliation and a national consensus on issues confronting Pakistan," Musharraf told a select gathering on the PTV programme titled 'Aiwan-e-Sadr Sey'.
The economy of the country might suffer without such reconciliation, he warned.
Commenting on his talks with Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf said, "No doubt there is a dialogue going on, and it should be with everyone.
Musharraf said that he preferred to call it a dialogue rather than use the word "deal", which had negative connotations.
Asked about the government's exile agreement with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf said that "Sharif was a convict and was awarded life imprisonment ... On his own, he requested and approached me and it was arranged that he left the country for ten years".
He said it was for the Election Commission to decide that whether exiled politicians, should be allowed to contest elections, and added, "Complete authority is with the people of Pakistan ... It is up to the people to elect the leaders they want."
Musharraf wanted a democratic set up in the country, and said that in the past he used to "select" leaders, but the people of Pakistan could now "elect" leaders of their choice.
He said stability was critical in the run-up to general elections, and hoped that all the political parties will keep Pakistan's national interests supreme and ensure that there is no political destabilisation.
Democracy "is the best form of governance", but requires checks and balances, the Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying.
He said he would decide about his uniform according to the Constitution and wanted to remove any controversy surrounding the issue.
Parliament with a two-thirds majority allowed me to retain the uniform till 2007, as "unity of command" was needed in the post 9/11 scenario, Musharraf added.
ANI