Benazir, Nawaz preparing grounds for their defeat: Musharraf

President Pervez Musharraf has said that former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were preparing the ground for their defeat.

Washington, Dec 10 : President Pervez Musharraf has said that former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were preparing the ground for their defeat.

Commenting on Bhutto's scepticism that the January 8 elections would be rigged, Musharraf said: "These are comments as a preparation for defeat. They know what has been happening during their own tenure. In fact, there was no arrangement over a caretaker government before the elections."

"We introduced the system of holding elections under caretaker government by amending the Constitution in order to ensure free and fair polls," he further said.

He told CNN that it was also his government that had decided that election results would be announced at each polling station immediately after the count. This would eliminate any chance of fraud.

"Now that we have done everything and we have even gone for elections, they are talking of rigging and everything. This is a clear indication of their preparation for defeat," Musharraf said.

"Now when they lose, they will have a good rationale that it is all rigged, it is all fraud. This is what they always do. In Pakistan the loser always cries ... I think they should gracefully participate in the elections and then gracefully accept defeat if anyone of them is defeated. We will congratulate anyone who does win," he added.

Musharraf criticised the West and its media in particular of thinking that there is no legal system in Pakistan or that there is no law and its all dictatorship.

The Daily Times quoted Musharraf as saying that deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would not come back, and also accused him (Chaudhry) of having paralysed the executive, ordered the release of terrorists and undermined the morale of the civil services.

He said he acted because the complete executive machinery was in near paralysis. The law enforcement agencies were "totally demoralised and they were not acting because terrorists were being more encouraged than the law enforcers."

The supremacy of parliament was "totally violated". Musharraf said he had received 57 percent of the vote yet Parliament was not being allowed to go through with its decision.

"If I act, there was a problem, if I do not act, there was also a bigger problem. So I took the decision to go for the lesser problem and that is to act and remove this Chief Justice. And that had to be done. And there is no room for his coming back," he emphasised.

So let's be clear and let us understand the ground realities of Pakistan. This is not United States this is Pakistan, Musharraf said.

"We act according to our dictates and realities in Pakistan. And let the people in the US understand us. We are fighting the terrorists here. Do not destabilise Pakistan. You will repent it," he warned.

ANI