Imran says Musharraf is conman, coward and chameleon

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief and former cricketer Imran Khan has said that President Pervez Musharraf is a total conman and coward, adding that he never takes a stand on anything.

Melbourne, Dec 3 : Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief and former cricketer Imran Khan has said that President Pervez Musharraf is a total conman and coward, adding that he never takes a stand on anything.

Imran further said that Musharraf is a chameleon and "is just a simple, power-grabbing dictator of the type we have known throughout the Third World. There are no principles and no morality. He's not embarrassed about killing his own people with his own army."

"Basically, he's destroyed the Supreme Court and illegally and unconstitutionally brought in his own pocket judges. Through them he's passing every possible ordinance which virtually makes him an emperor," he said.

"Musharraf has painted himself into a corner. He will get out of it only if we participate in these fraudulent elections," The Australian quoted Imran, as saying.

Imran Khan the politician is undaunted and seemingly unafraid and is not ready to be cowed down by his experience in solitary confinement in one of the country's most notorious and over-crowded jails and facing terrorism charges that carried a possible life sentence.

"I'm not afraid. What can they do to me," he says when asked if the Musharraf's regime has ever tried to buy him off, as a way of curbing his constant, increasingly incendiary attacks.

"They offered me the premiership in 2002 ... What sort of deal could they do with me now? They operate on the basis that every man has his price. But what could they offer me after I turned down the opportunity to become Prime Minister? There's nothing. They try to buy off other people with deals. They can't buy me" Imran says.

Commenting on meeting with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, Imran said: "We are entering a phase that is probably the most critical in our history."

"If Musharraf succeeds in his strategy then I'm afraid Pakistan will enter its darkest period ever, because this election will create far more problems than it will solve," he added.

Noting that Musharraf has himself said that the emergency declaration was illegal, Imran thunders: "I am just not going to be part of his fraud. If you know something is a fraud, you should not take part. If you don't take part then you discredit the process. By participating, you legitimise the process."

Imran insists that, had he not decided to boycott the election, his party would do very well. Which wouldn't be difficult, given that, until now, he has been its solitary MP.

"The military only understands one thing - and that is to crush the weak," he said. "What Pakistan needs is democracy and dialogue. And we won't get it as long as Musharraf is around," Imran concluded.

ANI