In the event of a coup, will stand by army: Musharraf

NEW DELHI: Former president and chief of the All Pakistan Muslim League General Pervez Musharraf says that he is “reasonably sure” that the military will not resort to a coup but will support the army if it takes over.

“I don’t think the army intends to take over. The environment is not at all conducive for the army to do so. I think the army understands that,” Musharraf told Indian journalist Karan Thapar at CNN-IBN’s show Devil’s Advocate.

But in the event of a choice between the civilian government or the military, Musharraf categorically stated he will side with the institution that he served until he shed the uniform to become the president of Pakistan. “I’ve been an armyman and I can never imagine being against the army … I am with the army, I will stand by the army.”

Alliance with PTI

Musharraf, whose newly-found party the APML recently organised a lukewarm rally in Karachi, said he was open for an alliance with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, but will not serve under him if elected to power.

“If they [the PTI] want an alliance, certainly I would like to have an alliance. We have to come with a third political option because the two political options presently and in the past have been tried and failed … there is a need of coalition of forces which can bring about that third political option which can deliver to Pakistan,” Musharraf, who intends to return to Pakistan from self-exile later this month, said.

He said he was aware of people in Imran’s party who keep saying that they will not get into an alliance with him. “But they don’t have a vision, they don’t understand what they are talking about. They go into the field and lose and then (people) choose the same party. Then Pakistan suffers,” he said.

He vehemently rejected suggestions of serving under Imran, if the alliance came to power. “I cannot serve under him. I can be outside … I cannot be serving under anyone,” the former military ruler said.

Karachi News Sources -2

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Posted by News Pakistan Admin on Jan 15 2012. Filed under Breaking News, International, Latest News, Politics, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry