President Musharraf said that al Qaeda militants are present in Mir Ali and Waziristan and the action would be taken against them with the support of intelligence agencies. The President said that during the reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry a few technical mistakes have been made. He said his photograph in uniform with the Chief Justice should not have been released to the media. He said it is totally wrong that the Chief Justice was dragged by his hair.
Commenting on a petition filed by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's President Qazi Hussain Ahmed challenging his military uniform, President Musharraf said that the Supreme Court is the right forum to decide the issue. He said after failing to keep his promise to doff the uniform he has learnt a lesson that in future promises should not be made.
Commenting on the May 12 Karachi situation he said had the Muttahida Qaumi Movement allowed the Chief Justice to take out the rally, 20-30 thousand people would have been roaming in MQM strongholds giving the impression that the party has lost its clout in Karachi.
While giving the interview to Syed Talat Hussain, Director News and Current Affairs Aaj TV, President Musharraf said that neither Benazir nor Nawaz Sharif would be coming back to Pakistan. He said that decisions are taken keeping in view the national interest. He said according to the Constitution, he could remain in uniform till December 2007, and he would not take any step against the Constitution.
The President said that the members of the National Assembly were not called in emergency to discuss the Karachi issue, but he said that he thought as the NA session was going to be prorogued he should call the MNAs and consult them.
General Musharraf said that the media was overplaying the Karachi situation and the reference against the Chief Justice. He said the reference was being politicised and it would be tackled politically. He said the opposition gave political colour to the Chief Justice's rally in Karachi ignoring the ground realities.
President Musharraf said the government had not asked the MQM to take out the rally but it is sad that the issue is being politicised. He said that the opposition was trying to associate me with the MQM. He said though he was an Urdu-speaking he had no connection with MQM. "I think about Pakistan," the President observed.
General Musharraf said that he was saddened by the loss of human lives in Karachi but opposition parties should have thought that why they were challenging the government collation partners. He said the people, who were giving ethnic colour to the Karachi situation, were playing with the destiny of Pakistan. The President said it was unfair to expect from the political parties belonging to the government to show restraint unilaterally.
To a question President Musharraf said that his picture in the military uniform with the Chief Justice should not have been published or telecast. He said he had not called the Chief Justice but he came to him by taking an appointment from his (Musharraf's) military secretary.
The President said he (Chief Justice) wanted to discuss with him a letter written by a Judge of Peshawar High Court. Musharraf said when he (Chief Justice) came he discussed that letter with him. President Musharraf said after that he started discussion on the presidential reference, which lasted one and a half-hours. He said he discussed many points of the reference on which the Chief Justice demanded proof. "For one and a half hours only two of us talked on the issue, but when the question of proof came it was not with me, then I called the intelligence people who gather proof," the President said.
General Musharraf said that he was not aware that the mobile phone of the Chief Justice had been snatched but he conceded that the presidential reference was mishandled which was wrong. He said the Chief Justice was not dragged by the hair, but actually the law-enforcing personnel were providing him security. He said it had happened with him many a time that security personnel put their hand on his head.
The President said according to the Constitution he can stay in uniform till December 2007 and the election should be held three months before that time which is between September 15 and October 15.
Musharraf said that the promise of doffing uniform with the MMA was only verbal but he had to break hid pledge when the MMA made things worst. He said that for the first time in his life he broke a promise and it was not easy for him. He said that this experience taught him a lesson that he should not make a promise in future. He said that he would not go against the Constitution.
To a question, the President said that it was a wrong impression that the people were around him because of his military uniform. The President said that he was not running the government but the Prime Minister was looking after the government affairs. He said that he never used the military uniform to influence others.
He said moderate and extremist forces will come face to face in the next elections and the victory of moderate forces was of utmost importance for the country. He said the extremism was not increasing in the country but the aggressiveness of extremist elements was on the rise, which had to be controlled at any cost. He said al Qaeda extremists were hiding in the tribal areas and sending army to crush them is not advisable, but intelligence operations would be carried out against them.
The President said if America thinks that it could achieve its objective by attacking al Qaida extremists in tribal areas, it can do that, but the consequences would be disastrous.