Pervez Musharraf- File pic
Blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not taking steps for reconciliation between India and Pakistan, former Pak military dictator Pervez Musharraf alleged that PM Modi "isn't an advocate of peace talks".
Musharraf also claimed that Pakistan and India were on the path of reconciliation when he was in power but added that it was no longer the case.
"I spoke to both the Prime Ministers, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. They both wanted to move forward from the disputes between the two countries,” Musharraf told Voice of America.
According to Express Tribune, Musharraf recalled how he had worked out a four-point peace formula to solve Siachen and Kashmir disputes between the two nuclear neighbours.
"We were working on my strategy because both sides wanted to have peace. This is not the case anymore. They want to undo us...Modi wants to enforce supremacy in India," he said.
Musharraf said there was a bias between treatment of India and Pakistan.
"Nobody asks India to control their (nuclear) assets. No one questions India's possession of nuclear threats. Pakistan became a nuclear state because India posed an undeniable existential threat.
"The US should've stopped them, we've been loyal to them throughout," he added.
Musharraf also accused the United States of aligning with India against his country.
The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief said that Pakistan-US relations have suffered quite a blow and are currently at "the lowest ebb".
The 74-year-old retired general, who is facing high treason charges, has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan for medical treatment.
He said that there is an absolute requirement to sit with the US and resolve whatever tiff the countries are facing. "This connects to Afghanistan. There are allegations against Pakistan, and both the countries have their grievances," he said.
Answering a question as to why there are strenuous relations between the two countries, Musharraf said, "US has supported India very openly from the Cold War era. And now again, the US is aligning itself with India against Pakistan, this affects us directly. We would like the UN to examine India's role in Afghanistan. A one-sided approach to the problem is negative."
The former army chief said that the people of Pakistan do not understand "why the US ditches us and then comes back to us".
"The people also know this that US comes to us when they need us, and they ditch us when they don't - it should not be this way," he said.
The relations between Washington and Islamabad have been strained since US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of "lies and deceit" and criticised Islamabad for providing safe havens to terror groups.
(with agency inputs)
