The former military ruler and president of Pakistan General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf has said he made media free in the country during his rule.

Islamabad, Dec 20/Nationalturk – The former military ruler and president of Pakistan General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf has taken credit for making media free in the country during his eight-year rule.

“I made media free in Pakistan. 90% officials had advised me not to liberate the media but I was of the view that Pakistan needed a free media for its progress and prosperity,” Musharraf,  facing treason charges for the imposition of emergency in the country on November 3, 2007 told a private TV news channel ARY News in his first interview after being released on bail.

He said he should be given credit for making the media free in the country. “But unfortunately those, who benefited the most from this freedom now spoke against me”.

During his tenure, there was media boom in Pakistan and many news channels came into being.

Musharraf revealed that a well-known anchor of a big TV channel had been urging him to initiate operation against the people in Lal Masjid as they had defied government writ.

‘Peace cannot be begged for’

Referring to talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, he said he supported the idea of having dialogue with militants. “However, all such overtures should be made with dignity. Peace could not be begged for.”

“You cannot plead like an orphan – ‘please do not beat me’. I do not believe in it,” he said.

Musharraf said there was always a foreign hand behind terrorist acts, including Taliban attacks, unrest in Balochistan and sectarianism.

He said whatever he had done for the country during his rule, he did it with good intentions and was proud of that.

‘No agreement with US on drone attacks’

On US drone attacks in tribal areas of the country, the former military ruler said there wasn’t any agreement with US to conduct drone attacks.

“The drone attacks are against the national sovereignty,” he said and advised country’s government to deal the matter in a diplomatic way,

Musharraf said during his rule, US conducted about 7or 8 drone attacks. “I fought with them and opposed it strongly””.

Gen Musharraf had overthrown the Nawaz Sharif government in a bloodless coup in October 1999.

Write your comments and thoughts below

Asia News/ NationalTurk Pakistan News